Retrievalinduced

Retrievalinduced is a term used in cognitive psychology to describe effects that arise when a person retrieves some information, altering the accessibility of related information. The concept is most commonly discussed in connection with retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF), a robust finding in which retrieving items from a category impairs the recall of other, unpracticed items from the same category.

Across standard experiments, participants study lists of category-exemplar items, then practice retrieving a subset of items. Later, unpracticed items from the same category are recalled less well than baseline items. This pattern is interpreted as evidence that retrieval practice can selectively inhibit competing memories, reducing their accessibility to future retrieval.

Two major accounts compete to explain the effect. Inhibitory-control theories posit that the act of retrieving targets suppresses related memories to resolve competition. Strengthening theories argue that retrieval practice strengthens the retrieved items but can indirectly deprive related items of retrieval opportunities. Some researchers propose hybrid accounts or boundary conditions that determine whether inhibition or strengthening dominates.

Beyond forgetting, researchers also examine whether retrieval can enhance memory for non-practiced items under certain conditions, and how factors such as material type, timing, retrieval schedule, and age affect the magnitude of retrieval-induced effects. The findings have implications for education and study strategies, suggesting that while retrieval practice boosts practiced material, it may carry costs for related information unless strategies are used to mitigate interference.

See also: retrieval-induced forgetting, testing effect.