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PSYCHOLOGY IN EVERYDAY LIFE
and are affected by the cues we have Have you ever noticed that how you
associated with that context. feel influences how you perceive others?
Seeing or hearing
the word rabbit In one study, adolescents’ ratings of
State- Dependent Memory parental warmth in one week have
State- dependent memory is closely related offered few clues to how they would rate
Activates concept to context- dependent memory. What their parents 6 weeks later (Bornstein et al.,
1991). When teens were down, their par-
we learn in one state — be it drunk or
sober — may be more easily recalled ents seemed cruel. As moods brightened,
when we are again in that state. What those devil parents became angels. And
people learn when drunk they at age 26, people’s recall of their parents’
don’t recall well in any state (alco- caregiving during their childhood were
Primes spelling linked less with the actual caregiving
the spoken hol disrupts memory storage). But (which had been assessed years earlier)
word hair/hare they recall it slightly better when
as h-a-r-e again drunk. Someone who hides than with their current moods and paren-
money when drunk may forget tal relationship (Nivison et al., 2021). Moods
FIGURE 7.11 Priming associations the location until drunk again. modify memories.
unconsciously activates related Moods also influence what we remem- Mood effects on retrieval help explain
associations why our moods persist. When happy,
ber (Gaddy & Ingram, 2014). Being happy
primes sweet memories. Being angry or we recall pleasant events and see the
Want to impress your friends with depressed primes sour ones. Say you’re world as a wonderful place, which pro-
longs our good mood. When depressed,
your new knowledge? Ask them three having a terrible day. You argued with a we recall sad events, which darkens our
rapid- fire questions: friend, made a big mistake at work, and view of our current situation. For those
got a poor grade on your midterm. Your
1. What color is snow? predisposed to depression, this process
bad mood may trigger other unhappy
2. What color are clouds? memories. If a friend or family member can help maintain a vicious, dark cycle.
3. What do cows drink? walks in at this point, your mind may fill Moods magnify.
If they answer milk to the third ques- with bad memories of that person.
tion, you have demonstrated priming. This tendency to recall events that IMPROVE YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE
fit our mood is called mood- congruent What sort of mood have you been in lately?
Context- Dependent Memory memory. If put in a great mood — whether How might spending a few minutes focusing
under hypnosis or just by the day’s events on the positive aspects of your life color your
Have you noticed? Putting yourself back (a World Cup soccer victory for German memories, perceptions, and expectations?
in the context where you earlier experi- participants in one study) — people recall
enced something can prime your mem- the world through rose- colored glasses
ory retrieval. Remembering, in many (DeSteno et al., 2000; Forgas et al., 1984; Schwarz Serial Position Effect
ways, depends on our environment et al., 1987). They recall their behaviors as Another memory- retrieval quirk, the
(Palmer, 1989). When you visit your child- competent and effective. They view other serial position effect, explains why you
hood home, old memories surface. When people as kind and giving. And they’re may have large holes in your memory of
scuba divers listened to a word list in one sure happy events happen more often a list of recent events. Imagine it’s your
of two different settings (either 10 feet than unhappy ones. first day in a new job, and your manager
underwater or sitting on the beach), they is introducing you to your co- workers.
recalled more words when later tested As you meet each person, you silently
in the same place where they first heard repeat everyone’s name, starting from
the list (Godden & Baddeley, 1975). the beginning. As the last person smiles
By contrast, experiencing something and turns away, you hope you’ll be able
outside the usual setting can be con- to greet your new co- workers by name
fusing. Have you ever run into a former the next day.
teacher in an unusual place, such as at Don’t count on it. Because you have
the store? Maybe you recognized the per- spent more time rehearsing the earlier
son, but struggled to figure out who it The New yorker Collection, 2005 David Sipress from names than the later ones, those are
was and how you were acquainted. The cartoonbank.com. All rights reserved. the names you’ll probably recall more
encoding specificity principle helps us easily the next day. In experiments,
understand how specific cues will most when people viewed a list of items
effectively trigger that memory. In new (words, names, dates) and then imme-
settings, you may be missing the mem- “I can’t remember what we’re arguing diately tried to recall them in any order,
ory cues needed for speedy face recogni- about, either. Let’s keep yelling, and they fell prey to the serial position
tion. Our memories are context- dependent maybe it will come back to us.” effect (Daniel & Katz, 2018; Dimsdale- Zucker

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