EXPLORING THE ROLE OF ATTENTIONAL WITHDRAWAL IN ITEM-METHOD DIRECTED FORGETTING THROUGH VISUAL SEARCH

Abstract

We embedded a serial and pop-out visual search into the study phase of an item-method directed forgetting paradigm to assess attentional availability following instructions to remember (R) or forget (F). Study words were presented to the left or right of a central fixation (Experiments 1-2) or at center (Experiments 3-5), followed by a visual (Experiments 1-4) or auditory (Experiment 5) memory instruction, and then by the search display. Although the evidence did not support a differential withdrawal of attention following F compared to R instructions, Experiment 5 replicated slower response times to visual targets that followed F compared to R instructions (e.g. Fawcett and Taylor, 2008) - consistent with the view that intentional forgetting engages an active cognitive process. We speculate that this active process might be a non-attentional inhibitory mechanism that is employed to further reduce the encoding of F items alongside selective rehearsal of R over F items.