Inhibition from part-set cuing: A cue-overload interpretation

Abstract

Recalling a given item from a semantically categorized list is impaired by the presence of other items from the same category. This inhibitory effect of part-set "cuing" is interpreted here as a cue-overload effect. Predictions from this interpretation are confirmed in four experiments. Experiment 1 demonstrates that the inhibitory effect is indeed category specific. The remaining experiments show that it is robust with respect to mode of categorization. In Experiment 2 the sets comprised rhyming words. In Experiment 3 subjects sorted items into subjective sets. In Experiment 4 sets were entirely arbitrary; the items of each set were presented as paired-associate responses to a common stimulus, with the effects of part-set cuing determined in an MMFR test.