Encoding specificity principle: Difference between revisions

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The '''encoding specificity principle''' is the general principle that matching the encoding contexts of information at recall assists in the retrieval of [[Episodic memory|episodic memories]]. It provides a framework for understanding how the conditions present while [[Encoding (memory)|encoding]] information relate to [[memory]] and [[Recollection|recall]] of that information.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Tulving|first=Endel|author2=Donald Thomson|s2cid=14879511|title=Encoding specificity and retrieval processes in episodic memory|journal=Psychological Review|year=1973|volume=80|issue=5|pages=352–373|doi=10.1037/h0020071}} {{verify source |date=September 2019 |reason=This ref was deleted Special:Diff/889862721 by a bug in VisualEditor and later restored by a bot from the original cite located at Special:Permalink/884039838 cite #1 - verify the cite is accurate and delete this template. [[User:GreenC bot/Job 18]]}}</ref>

It was introduced by Thomson and [[Endel Tulving|Tulving]] who suggested that contextual information is encoded with memories which affectsaffect the retrieval of that memoriesprocess. When a person uses information stored in their memory it is necessary that the information is accessible. The accessibility is governed by retrieval cues, these cues are dependent on the encoding pattern; the specific encoding pattern may vary from instance to instance, even if nominally the item is the same, as encoding depends on the context. This conclusion was drawn from a recognition-memory task.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last1=Tulving|first1=Endel|last2=Thomson|first2=Donald M.|date=1971|title=Retrieval processes in recognition memory: Effects of associative context.|journal=Journal of Experimental Psychology|volume=87|issue=1|pages=116–124|doi=10.1037/h0030186|issn=0022-1015}}</ref> A series of psychological experiments were undertaken in the 1970s which continued this work and further showed that context affects our ability to recall information.

The context may refer to the context in which the information was encoded, the physical ___location or surroundings, as well as the mental or physical state of the individual at the time of encoding. This principle plays a significant role in both the concept of [[context-dependent memory]] and the concept of [[state-dependent memory]].