If one runs into a professor in the grocery store, one may be less likely to recognize her than when one sees her in a regular classroom. This demonstrates the phenomenon of:
A) transfer-appropriate processing.
B) proactive interference.
C) retroactive interference.
D) source amnesia.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This scenario illustrates transfer-appropriate processing, which suggests that memory performance is not only determined by the depth of processing (how information is encoded), but also by the similarity between how information is encoded and how it is retrieved. Seeing a professor in an unexpected context (like a grocery store) differs from the usual context (classroom), which can make recognition more difficult.

If One Runs into a Professor in the Grocery Store