Selective memory retrieval can revive forgotten memories

Abstract

Significance Recall of encoded information gets impaired as time passes. We show that selective retrieval can interrupt such time-dependent forgetting. Selective retrieval of some studied information can revive the nonretrieved information and bring recall levels back to the levels shortly after study. Strikingly, we found that time-dependent forgetting after selective retrieval mimics time-dependent forgetting after study, which implies that the revival of the forgotten memories is lasting and caused by a reset of the recall process. In the real world, retrieval of encoded episodes is often selective and is often time-lagged, like in educational settings or in eyewitness testimony situations. Our findings suggest that selective retrieval can improve people’s memory in such situations.