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Speed of recall in relation to affective tone and intensity of experience

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Din Master*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Biometrics, Institute of Psychiatry, London
W. A. Lishman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Biometrics, Institute of Psychiatry, London
Alan Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Biometrics, Institute of Psychiatry, London
*
1Address for correspondence Dr Din Master, Department of Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Dc Crespigny Park, Denmark Hill, London SE5 8AF.

Synopsis

The relative memorability of pleasant and unpleasant personal experiences was investigated by measuring their speed of recall. In keeping with most previous work, pleasant material was found to be more readily accessible than unpleasant material. In addition, the retrieval rates of both classes of material were found to be influenced by the intensity of affect associated with the memory.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1983

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References

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