You memorize a list of paired associates including "RUBBER-BAND." Later someone asks you what word on the list refers to a group that plays music, and you do not think of the word BAND. Why not?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The encoding specificity principle states that retrieval is more successful when the cues present at encoding match the cues present at retrieval. In this case, the word "band" could refer to a music group or a rubber-band, but the cue for music group was not present during encoding. Therefore, the encoding specificity principle explains why the word "band" was not retrieved in response to the cue for a music group.

You Memorize a List of Paired Associates Including "RUBBER-BAND