RETROSPECTIVE LEARNING ABOUT CONTEXT RELEVANCE

Abstract

Attentional Theory of Context Processing (ATCP) proposes that learning becomes context-specific, in other words, less generalizable to other contexts when attention towards the context is promoted. Previous research has explored the effect of attention to the context during learning, but little is known about its effects after learning. Accordingly, the current study extends the literature by investigating the effects of retrospective attention on the context-specificity of learned information. The study involved a community sample of 111 young adults in Singapore. A mixed experimental design was utilized. All participants first learned several associations in the acquisition phase. Following this, half of the participants’ attention were directed to the context by recalling details of the context. The other half, as the control group, engaged in an irrelevant math exercise. Participants who successfully recalled the context did not differ from the control group in their learning and the context-specificity of the learned information. This finding bears important implications on the learning literature and its application in clinical and practical settings. It also raises important questions about the application of ATCP.