Differences between directed forgetting methods across development: a direct comparison of the item and block cuing methods

This experiment examined a direct comparison between the item and block cuing methods of directed forgetting research in a developmental framework. It has been hypothesized that these two methods tap into different cognitive processes, selective rehearsal and inhibition, respectively. First, third, fifth grade and college students were compared in a mixed method design. Each participant was presented with items in both the block and item cuing procedures and then recall and recognition for all items was assessed. Results showed that adults recalled significantly more to-be-remembered than to-be-forgotten words regardless of task. On the recognition test, all participants recognized more to-be-remembered (TBR) than to-be-forgotten (TBF) words on the item task and equal TBR and TBF words on the block task. Results are considered inconclusive as a fast speed of presentation may have influenced the data.