The effects of cue-target uniqueness on cued recall performance.

The uniqueness of the cue-target word encoding episode was examined as an important determinant of retrieval-cue effectiveness. Using a single list of unrelated word pairs, the uniqueness of the cue-target word relationship in each word pair was manipulated through two sets of encoding instructions. One set of instructions led the subjects to relate the items in each word pair in a unique way by having them treat the word pairs as similes. The other set of instructions led subjects to relate the items in each word pair in a similar way by having them compare the items in each pair with respect to their hardness properties. Subjects receiving the simile encoding instructions performed significantly better on a cued recall test, where one word from each pair was used as a cue for the other member. The encoding instructions were also found to have a significant effect on the ability to recognize word pairs, but were found to have little effect on subjects' ability to recall and recognize individual list items. Implications of the results for theories of memory are discussed.