Abstract
It has been shown that labeling nonsense pictures improves memory for them, but how the label takes effect is uncertain. In this study subjects viewed nonsense pictures with or without labels; in the former case, the labels were either meaningful or nonmeaningful with respect to the pictures. Then the subjects took part in a free recall test, followed by recall in the presence of cues. Only the meaningful labels facilitated free recall of the pictures, but both types of labels facilitated cued recall. The results suggest that a meaningful label affects picture encoding by providing a conceptual interpretation for the picture; a nonmeaningful label, in contrast, appears to provide only an ad hoc associative cue.
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Wiseman, G., & Neisser, U.Perceptual organization as a determinant of visual recognition memory. Paper presented at meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association, 1971.
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This research was supported by Grant MH 25090 from the National Institute of Mental Health to the first author.
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Klatzky, R.L., Rafnel, K. Labeling effects on memory for nonsense pictures. Memory & Cognition 4, 717–720 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03213239
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03213239