A Litmus Test for the Pattern-Suppression Model

Abstract

The current set of experiments were designed to test the pattern-suppression model, which is a component of the suppression theory of forgetting. Experiment 1 tested the pattern-facilitation hypothesis, a hypothesis derived from the model and which states that the processing of an item will result in increased accessibility of other items from memory that share semantic features with the item. There was no support for this hypothesis. Experiments 2-3 examined the nature of second-order inhibition, which is the finding that the direct suppression of an item will result in indirect suppression of other items that share semantic features with the item in question. According to the pattern-suppression model, items affected by second-order inhibition are only suppressed with respect to the shared semantic features. However, Experiments 2-3 found no evidence for this assumption. In fact, there appeared to be, if anything, facilitation of these features. The results are elaborated upon with respect to the inhibition literature.