Verbal coding and redintegrative memory for shapes.

Abstract

Four experiments examined the effect of label training on redintegrative memory for novel shapes (remembering the whole shape when only a part is presented). Redintegrative memory was markedly better when subjects were trained with names as compared to unnamed control conditions. The first two experiments demonstrated that the effect of labeling was even stronger when subjects were required to use the labels during the transfer test. This result suggests that the naming effect is not due to attentional differences during training. The last two experiments explored the quality of the assigned labels and the relationship of the label to the visual stimulus. There was a slightly greater effect of relevant meaningful labels on redintegrative memory, but in general all types of names (relevant, irrelevant, and paralog) were facilitative. The experiments suggest that a verbal code can exert a strong influence in tasks that require the integration and retrieval of visual information.