Abstract
Subjects listened to scripted activities (e.g., going to a restaurant) that contained typical actions (e.g., ordering a meal) and atypical actions (e.g., reading a newspaper). Recognition memory was measured at an immediate and at a delayed retention interval. The recognition memory test contained target and distractor test statements referring to actions that did or did not occur in the scripted activities. The latencies for yes-no recognition judgments were measured for these test statements. The memory and reaction time data supported the predictions made by a schema-based model.
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This research was supported by a National Institute of Mental Health grant (MH33491) to Arthur Graesser. The first author was a member of A. Graesser’s Cognitive Research Group when the research reported here was conducted. In addition, the research benefited from discussions with members of the Cognitive Research Group (in particular, discussions with Leslie Clark, Tamar Murachver, Jim Riha, and Judy Zimmerman). Finally, portions of the article were presented by the first author at the 62nd annual meeting of the Western Psychological Association in Sacramento, CA, April 10, 1982.
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Nakamura, G.V., Graesser, A.C. Memory for script-typical and script-atypical actions: A reaction time study. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 23, 384–386 (1985). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330191
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03330191