What Is the Survival Effect? What Research Has Been Conducted

Question

Examlex · Accepted Answer

The Answer is The survival effect refers to a finding in the memory literature where participants show better performance on memory tasks when the to-be-remembered material bears directly on issues of survival than when it does not. The survival effect has been found for recall and recognition of words as well as memory for the location of objects. Early theories explaining the survival effect gave a fairly simple explanation for the phenomenon; individuals who were better able to remember survival-related information were more likely to survive and have offspring (who would better remember survival-related information). Nairne, Thompson, & Pandeirada (2007) found that survival-related encoding in the hunter-gatherer (or EEA) context led to both better recall and better recognition. However, some subsequent researchers noted that a problem with such strictly ecologically based explanation for the survival effect (such as Nairne's) is that thinking about survival necessarily evokes thoughts about one's self, and the self-reference effect (SRE) can have a powerful positive effect on memory. Sheila Cunningham wondered if the survival effect resulted not from a bias for survival-related information per se, but from the same forces that make all material that is processed in terms of self-reference better remembered. Cunningham et al. (2013) conclude that there is a survival effect; however, the survival effect is functionally specific to the self, and not to survival issues in general

What Is the Survival Effect? What Research Has Been Conducted

Essay

Correct Answer:
Verified

What Is the Survival Effect? What Research Has Been Conducted

Essay

Correct Answer:VerifiedShow Answer

Correct Answer:
Verified