Pre-experimental stimulus familiarity modulates the effects of item repetition on source memory

Previous studies have reported contradictory findings regarding the effects of item repetition on the subsequent encoding of contextual details associated with items (i.e., source memory). Whereas some studies reported repetition-induced enhancement in source memory, other studies observed repetition-induced impairment. To resolve these conflicting results, we examined the modulatory role of pre-experimental stimulus familiarity in the relationship between item repetition and new source memory formation by orthogonally manipulating pre-experimental stimulus familiarity and intra-experimental item repetition. In a series of experiments consisting of three phases (item repetition, item-source association, and source memory test), we found that item repetition impaired source memory for pre-experimentally familiar items (famous faces or words), whereas the same manipulation improved source memory for pre-experimentally novel items (non-famous faces or pseudowords). Crucially, item repetition impaired, rather than improved, source memory for pre-experimentally novel items when these items had been pre-exposed to participants prior to the three-phase procedure. Collectively, these findings provide strong evidence that pre-experimental stimulus familiarity determines the relative costs and benefits of experimental item repetition on the encoding of new item-source associations. By demonstrating the interaction between different types of stimulus familiarity, the present findings advance our understanding of how prior experience affects the formation of new episodic memories. [Citation: Lee, H., Kim, K., & Yi, D-J. (in press). Pre-experimental stimulus familiarity modulates the effects of item repetition on source memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition.]

An Experiment in Price Generalization and Discrimination

An experimental field test of a psychological model of buyer reaction to pricing shows strong support for a number of price hypotheses relating degree and kind of price information to price evaluations. For instance, overall price image of the store, uncertainty in judging price, and knowledge of recent price change are shown to influence buyer evaluation of price for the experimental item.

Testing Students' Ability to Do Geometric Proofs: A Comparison of Three Objective Item Types

In final geometry examinations and in standardized achievement tests, scoring convenience often precludes the use of formal student-produced proofs. This study sought objective item types that would as nearly as possible measure the same abilities as those measured by student-produced formal proofs. A test of conventional proofs was used to compare the concurrent validity of 3 objective item types. Significant differences among the experimental item types were found.