The Levels of Processing effect was first identified by Craik and Lockhart in 1972.
The fundamental concept of the Levels of Processing effect, is that different methods of encoding information into memory have different levels of effectivness, either in their actual writting in, or in their reading back (recall) from memory.
The test used to illustrate their hypothesis showed, roughly speaking, that:
- Those that hear a passage of text can recall parts of it (audible input)
- Those that read a passage of text can recall most of it (visual input)
- Those that write down the text can recall most if not all of it, even with the written form taken away (audible or visual input plus physical output)
- Those that understand the meaning behind the text will have the most strong ability to recall the passage (conceptual input)
The sliding-scale of increased ability to encode/recall is the focus of the study. Greater processing will lead to greater amounts of information available for recall.
Whether the information is being encoded more effectivly, or being recalled more effectivly is unclear.