| Abstract: | Examined the hypothesis that the time elapsing between events may be a potent cue that accompanies the storage and retrieval of memories. If so, it follows that as the retention interval increases, recall may either increase or decrease, depending on whether the retrieval interval is becoming more similar or less similar to the storage interval. Six experiments employing a runway were conducted, using a total of 102 naive male Holtzman rats as Ss. The target memory to be recalled in acquisition was measured in a subsequent extinction phase in all 6 experiments reported; faster extinction indicated poorer recall in acquisition. Consistent with the present hypothesis, it was found that regardless of whether the retention interval in extinction was long (10–20 min) or short (about 30 sec), resistance to extinction was greater when in acquisition the storage and retrieval intervals were alike (both 30 sec or 10–20 min) rather than different. Results rule out 4 alternative explanations to the present hypothesis: a temporal discrimination view, time tagging the memory of nonreward, generalization decrement occasioned by a change in retention interval from acquisition to extinction, and what was called the last-trial hypothesis. (26 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved) |
