RELATION OF EXPERIMENTALLY PRODUCED INTERLIST INTRUSIONS TO UNLEARNING AND RETROACTIVE INHIBITION

150 COLLEGE STUDENTS WERE DIVIDED INTO 3 GROUPS. SS LEARNED AN A-B PAIRED-ASSOCIATE LIST AND THEN EITHER LEARNED A HOMOGENEOUS A-C LIST, A MIXED LIST CONTAINING CARRIED-OVER A-B AND A-C PAIRS, OR SERVED AS A REST CONTROL GROUP. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE INTERPOLATED ACTIVITY, RETENTION OF THOSE A-B ITEMS WHICH CONFORMED TO THE A-B, A-C PARADIGM IN BOTH MIXED AND HOMOGENEOUS LISTS WAS MEASURED BY MODIFIED METHOD OF FREE RECALL. THE MIXED-LIST GROUP GAVE MORE INTERLIST INTRUSIONS DURING INTERPOLATED LEARNING THAN DID THE HOMOGENEOUS-LIST GROUP BUT SHOWED BETTER RETENTION. THESE RESULTS ARGUE AGAINST THE USE OF INTERLIST INTRUSIONS AS AN INDICANT OF EXTINCTION OF SPECIFIC STIMULUS-RESPONSE ASSOCIATIONS. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1968 American Psychological Association.