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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Cognit.
Sec. Memory
Volume 3 - 2024 |
doi: 10.3389/fcogn.2024.1349511
Running head: MODALITY OF QUESTIONING AND MEMORY REPORTS Impact of Modality and Mode of Questioning and Testing on Memory Reports
Provisionally accepted- 1 University of Oklahoma, Norman, United States
- 2 Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio, United States
Individuals’ memories are assessed in multiple contexts; however, depending on the context, how an individual is questioned may impact the quantity and quality of the details reported. One goal of this study is to investigate how the modality of questioning (individuals talk or write about an event) impacts memory reports. Additionally, being tested on previously learned information improves memory for that information compared to re-studying it. Consequently, another goal is to examine how questioning impacts memory reports compared to a second exposure. We utilized open-ended and pointed questions (true and false). Participants watched a short video and were questioned (Experiment 1: In-Person; Experiment 2: Virtual) about its contents immediately, one week, and one month later. The current study found that writing leads to better quality memory reports than speaking, and the benefit is present one week later. Additionally, we found that writing mitigates an anticipated testing benefit, although this depended on whether a pointed or open-ended question was asked. Restudying (versus immediate testing) led to better performance for the false pointed questions. However, the better performance operated differently depending on whether participants wrote or spoke following restudying, perhaps due to a differential criterion shift between the Restudy-Written and the Restudy-Spoken conditions. We conclude that the impact of the modality of questioning is influenced in several ways by the types of questions asked, which bears significance for many domains because one modality (or a combination) may be more suitable for producing more accurate memory reports as a function of different domains.
Keywords: modality of questioning, memory reports, testing effect, written superiority effect, In-person interviewing
Received: 04 Dec 2023; Accepted: 26 Sep 2024.
Copyright: © 2024 Riggenbach, Gronlund and Zoladz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Mackenzie R. Riggenbach, University of Oklahoma, Norman, United States
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