Psychology -> Measures of retention: recall, recognition, relearning

Measures of retention: recall, recognition, relearning

Recall - the retrieval of information from LTM with minimal cues, e.g. as if you were given a blank sheet of paper and asked to recall a list of words.

One example of recall is going to the supermarket without a shopping list - IMAGE

Recognition - when current information matches information stored in our LTM, e.g. matching the information presented to you in a multiple choice question with information you have previously learned. Recognition is generally a more effective method of retrieval compared to recall because it provides cues. However, it is the least sensitive measure of retention because it relies on cues being in front of the person.


Try the memory recognition activity - ANIMATION

Relearning - learning material again. Ebbinghaus calculated a savings score when he relearned information. This is a calculation made of the amount of time saved each time information is learned again. The savings score is calculated as follows:


Of the three, relearning is the most sensitive measure of retention because it demonstrates that there is some information in memory.

ANIMATION