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Journal Article 6.1: Carpenter, S. K. (2012). Testing enhances the transfer of Learning. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 21(5), 279-283.

Abstract: Many studies have shown that retrieving information during a test facilitates later memory for that information. Most research on this testing effect has focused on retention of information measured via a final test that is similar to the initial test. Much less is known about the potential of testing to promote the application--i.e., transfer--of learning. In this article, I review recent studies that have begun to address this issue, specifically with regard to the benefits of testing on transfer across temporal contexts, test formats, and knowledge domains. The small but growing number of studies on this topic have so far reported robust benefits of testing on transfer of learning. Future research is encouraged that explores the potential of tests to promote not just direct retention of information, but also the application of knowledge to new situations.

Journal Article 6.2: Raaijmakers, J. G. W., & Jakab, E. (2013). Is forgetting caused by inhibition? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(3), 205-209.

Abstract: A well-known finding in memory research is the forgetting effect that occurs because of practicing some Item A on the recall of a related Item B. The traditional explanation for such interference effects is based on the notion of competition. According to the inhibition theory of forgetting, however, such forgetting is due to an inhibitory control process that operates whenever the retrieval of specific target information is hindered by competition from related information. The suppression of the related information is a longer lasting phenomenon that may show up on later testing. We report several experiments that were carried out to test two fundamental assumptions of the inhibition theory: the interference dependence and retrieval specificity assumptions. The results of these experiments do not support the predictions of the inhibition theory. Instead, the results are more compatible with the standard account that attributes the forgetting to competition at the time of the later testing.

Journal Article 6.3: Mulligan, N. W., & Lozito, J. P. (2006). An asymmetry between memory encoding and retrieval: Revelation, generation, and transfer-appropriate processing. Psychological Science, 17(1), 7-11.

Abstract: Transfer-appropriate-processing accounts of memory emphasize the similarity of encoding and retrieval processes, and imply that experimental manipulations should have similar effects on encoding and retrieval. Exceptions to this expectation are thus of great interest, but extant exceptions (produced by studies using divided attention, alcohol, and benzodiazepines) are debatable, single dissociations between encoding and retrieval. The present experiments demonstrate a reversed dissociation, in which the same variable produced opposite effects when implemented at encoding and retrieval. At encoding, participants either solved anagrams of study words or read intact study words. At retrieval, participants likewise solved anagrams or read intact words prior to making recognition memory judgments. Compared with reading intact words, solving anagrams at encoding enhanced later recognition accuracy, whereas solving anagrams at test impaired accuracy. These results were obtained with old/new decisions (Experiment 1) and with confidence ratings (Experiment 2).

Journal Article 6.4: Koppel, J., & Rubin, D. C. (2016). Recent advances in understanding the reminiscence bump: The importance of cues in guiding recall from autobiographical memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 25(2), 135-140.

Abstract: The reminiscence bump is the increased proportion of autobiographical memories from youth and early adulthood observed in adults over 40. It is one of the most robust findings in autobiographical-memory research. Although described as a single period from which there are more memories, a recent meta-analysis that reported the beginning and ending ages of the bump from individual studies found that different classes of cues produce distinct bumps that vary in size and temporal location. The bump obtained in response to cue words is both smaller and located earlier in the life span than the bump obtained when important memories are requested. The bump obtained in response to odor cues is even earlier. This variation in the size and temporal location of the reminiscence bump argues for theories based primarily on retrieval rather than encoding and retention, which most current theories stress. Furthermore, it points to the need to develop theories of autobiographical memory that account for this flexibility in the memories retrieved.