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Concept information

phenomenon > memory phenomenon > forgetting > motivated forgetting > directed forgetting

Preferred term

directed forgetting  

Definition

  • The motivated forgetting characterized by poorer memory for items that subjects have previously been instructed to forget, compared to items they were instructed to remember.

Broader concept

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Bibliographic citation(s)

  • • Bjork, R. A., LaBerge, D., & Legrand, R. (1968). The modification of short-term memory through instructions to forget. Psychonomic Science, 10(2), 55–56. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03331404

    • Document type: empirical study

    • Access: open

  • • Corenblum, B., & Goernert, P. N. (2023). Directed forgetting of emotionally toned items and mental health: A meta-analytic review. Memory, 31(5), 605–634. https://doi.org/10.1080/09658211.2023.2185930

    • Document type: meta-analysis

    • Access: closed

  • • Delaney, P. F., Barden, E. P., Smith, W. G., & Wisco, B. E. (2020). What can directed forgetting tell us about clinical populations? Clinical Psychology Review, 82, 101926. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2020.101926

    • Document type: literature review

    • Access: closed

  • • Epstein, W. (1972). Mechanisms of directed forgetting. In Psychology of Learning and Motivation (Vol. 6, pp. 147–191). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0079-7421(08)60386-2

    • Document type: empirical study

    • Access: closed

  • • MacLeod, C. M. (1998). Directed forgetting. In J. M. Golding, C. M. MacLeod, J. M. (Ed) Golding, & C. M. (Ed.), Intentional forgetting:  Interdisciplinary approaches. (p. 1-57). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    • Document type: literature review

    • Access: closed

  • • Macleod, C. M. (1999). The item and list methods of directed forgetting : Test differences and the role of demand characteristics. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review, 6(1), 123‑129. https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210819

    • Document type: empirical study

    • Access: open

  • • Sahakyan, L. (2024). Current perspectives on directed forgetting. In M. J. Kahana & A. D. Wagner (Eds.), The oxford handbook of human memory: Foundations and applications (Vol. 2, pp. 1257–1278). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190917982.013.42

    • Document type: literature review

    • Access: closed

  • • Titz, C., & Verhaeghen, P. (2010). Aging and directed forgetting in episodic memory : A meta-analysis. Psychology and Aging, 25(2), 405‑411. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0017225

    • Document type: meta-analysis

    • Access: closed

Creator

  • Frank Arnould

Has study method(s)

Moderator variable(s)

  • • Age: larger directed forgetting in young adults compared to older adults (Titz & Verhaeghen, 2010).
  • • Number of items: larger directed forgetting with short lists (Titz & Verhaeghen, 2010).
  • • Presentation time: larger directed forgetting with longer presentation time per item (Titz & Verhaeghen, 2010).
  • • Rehearsal time: larger directed forgetting with longer rehearsal times (Titz & Verhaeghen, 2010).
  • • Type of items: larger directed forgetting for single words compared to verbal action phrases (Titz & Verhaeghen, 2010).
  • • Type of method: larger directed forgetting with item method compared to list method (Titz & Verhaeghen, 2010).
  • • Type of test: no directed forgetting with the list method in a recognition test, only in a free recall test. The effect is present in both recognition and free recall with the item method (MacLeod, 1999).

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URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/P66-NM6FCV93-6

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