Only descriptive reactivation improves memory precision (correct details per recalled image)¶
Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · causalr2·q3
Currency · newest study 2018 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person
Subclaims¶
Reading the evidence codes
q is the design tier, i the impact, n the sample, and the kind with its r
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q3 i? The Descriptive group recalled significantly more details per image than the Distractor group, while no other between-group differences on this precision measure reached significance. → MacLeod 2018
Evidence¶
MacLeod 2018¶
MacLeod, S., Reynolds, M. G. & Lehmann, H. (2018). The mitigating effect of repeated memory reactivations on forgetting. npj Science of Learning 3:9. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-018-0025-x
q3 · i? · causal · r2
On the details-per-image measure, indexing memory quality/precision, the ANOVA showed a reactivation main effect, F(3, 155) = 2.94, p = 0.04. Only descriptive reactivation improved precision retention; the component group did not differ from controls.
"the Descriptive group remembered signi ficantly more details per image than the Distractor group ( p < 0.01). There were no other signi ficant differences amongst the other groups ( ps > 0.05)."
Discussion¶
Related Claims¶
- Descriptive reactivations increase correct details recalled; component reactivations increase details only versus distractor — related
- At the 28-day retention interval, both descriptive and component reactivations outperform both controls, with relative gains of 58.8–67.2% for images and over 100% for details — related
- Descriptive reactivations significantly improve free recall of images compared with distractor and no-reactivation controls — related
- Reactivations do not increase false memories: no reactivation effect on falsely recalled images or details — related
- Component (category-cueing) reactivations mitigate forgetting relative to distractor controls but do not beat no-reactivation controls on image recall — related
- Retention declines with interval (time-dependent forgetting) across images, details, and details-per-image measures — related
- Weekly brief reactivations during a 30-day retention interval reduce forgetting of numeric facts relative to controls — related
Page metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
type |
claim |
id |
descriptive-reactivation-improves-memory-precision |
title |
Only descriptive reactivation improves memory precision (correct details per recalled image) |
description |
Only descriptive reactivation improves memory precision (correct details per recalled image) |
status |
review |
evidence_strength |
moderate |
newest_evidence |
2018 |
generated |
by process:wiki-ingest on 2026-10-26 |
trust |
unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content |
sources |
1 — macleod-2018 |
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