The cognitive processing architecture of dual-memory retrieval after practice

Abstract

Dual-memory retrieval refers to the retrieval of two different types of memory information at the same time. While capacity constraints - particularly in the form of bottleneck models - have been proposed to limit this ability, recent evidence suggests that humans can, in fact, retrieve two pieces of information at once. One candidate model to explain these processes is the set-cue bottleneck model. This dissertation examined the mechanisms behind these processes by assessing three central factors: task specific factors, explicit strategy instructions and individual factors. Key findings were the generalization of previous results to a new retrieval context of automatized cue response associations, as well as the assessment of the role of strategy instructions and manipulations. Lastly, the similarities in the way younger and older adults process dual-memory retrieval have been examined.