Abstract
The adequacy of reconstructive and reproductive models of memory has been in dispute ever since Bartlett’s (1932) publication of his volume Remembering. Experimental as well as anecdotal evidence suggests that neither model can adequately account for all of the findings. We would suggest that to be adequate, an explanation of verbal memory should focus on a memory classification based on behavioral measures. Thus, it is suggested that verbal memory consists of at least two basic types of remembered material: (1) verbatim memory and (2) memory for gist. The latter category involves a frequently encountered process that we have identified as abstractive congruence; a reconstructive process, abstractive incongruence, is also found, but it is found much less frequently.
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Hall, J.F. Reconstructive and reproductive models of memory. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 28, 191–194 (1990). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334000
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334000