Day 29 of 150 Memory Difficulty 10/10
Encoding-retrieval match beats raw depth of processing
Quick answer
Encoding-retrieval match beats raw depth of processing. Today's question (Transfer-appropriate processing) asks about a finding from Morris, C. D., Bransford, J. D., & Franks, J. J. in 1977. The correct option is Memory performance depends on the match between encoding task and retrieval task — full explanation, primary source, and glossary cross-links below.
Today's question
Morris, Bransford & Franks (1977) found that "deeper" semantic encoding is NOT always superior to shallow encoding. Their key finding was that:
Reveal the answer and explanation
Correct: B — Memory performance depends on the match between encoding task and retrieval task
Craik & Lockhart's original 1972 framework predicted semantic > phonological > visual encoding. Morris, Bransford & Franks (1977) showed this depends on the test: when the retrieval task probed rhyme (e.g., "Did you study a word that rhymes with bear?"), shallow phonological encoding outperformed deep semantic encoding. The principle of transfer-appropriate processing — encoding-retrieval match matters more than depth alone — significantly modified the framework and predicted later findings on context-dependent and state-dependent memory.
About the source
Morris, C. D., Bransford, J. D., & Franks, J. J. (1977). Levels of processing versus transfer appropriate processing. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 16(5), 519–533.
Every Cognition Bible question cites a primary source — a paper, book chapter, or monograph that exists, that we can point to on Google Scholar, and whose finding the question accurately summarizes. No fabricated authority strings, no name-drops without paper-level grounding.
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