Encoding Levels Modulate Retrieval Practice

Retrieval practice helps keep long-term memory of the retrievaled material (the testing effect), but it also inhibits the subsequent retrieval of the nonretrievaled material, which a phenomenon called retrieval-induced forgetting (RIFO). Interestingly, there are also some research shows that retrieval practice sometimes can promote the subsequent retrieval of the nonretrievaled material, which a phenomenon called retrieval-induced facilitation (RIFA). The nonretrievaled material refers to the material without retrieval practice but related to the retrieval practiced material, which represent the nonpracticed sample material(Rp-) of Anderson,s retrieval practice paradigm. According to the two completely different results of the above, this article discusses what factors influence retrieval practice produced two conflicting results to the nonretrievaled material? Therefore, this article has designed two experiments to explore the retrieval practice in which case produce inhibition for the nonretrievaled material, and in which case produce promote action for the nonretrievaled material. According to the existing research, selected a key influence factor—integration code level—to explore the effects of retrieval practice for the nonretrievaled material. Experiments using Anderson,s retrieval practice paradigm, set high, medium and low three different level of the integration encoding, experiment 1 use essay and set the problems as experiment material, experiment 2 choose traditional research material—word pairs—as experiment material for further verification. In the end. experiments obtained the following conclusions:(1) Under the condition of low integration encoding level, retrieval practice significant inhibited the recall rate of the nonretrievaled material, which means appeared retrieval-induced forgetting (RIFO).(2) Under the condition of high integration encoding level, retrieval practice significantly improved the recall rate of the nonretrievaled material, which means appeared retrieval-induced facilitation (RIFA).(3) Due to the effect of encoding factors, whether the essay material or the word pair material is likely to appear retrieval-induced forgetting (RIFO) and retrieval-induced facilitation (RIFA).(4) In the essay material, with the increase of encoding level, testing effect is more obvious; But in the word pair material, only under the condition of the high encoding level found significant testing effect. In addition, the encoding level in the two different kinds of material have obvious influence on the recall rate of retrieval practice.