A context maintenance and retrieval model of organizational processes in free recall.

TLDR

The CMR model extends Howard and Kahana’s temporal context model by positing that memory search is driven by an internally maintained context representation that integrates stimulus‑related and source‑related features. In CMR, organizational effects such as semantic, temporal, and source clustering arise from associations between active context elements and item features, with semantic clustering reflecting long‑term context‑to‑item links and temporal/source clustering formed during study. A behavioral study of the three organizational forms constrained the CMR model, showing interactions among semantic, temporal, and source clustering and highlighting implications for episodic memory and guiding future neural investigations.

Abstract

The authors present the context maintenance and retrieval (CMR) model of memory search, a generalized version of the temporal context model of M. W. Howard and M. J. Kahana (2002a), which proposes that memory search is driven by an internally maintained context representation composed of stimulus-related and source-related features. In the CMR model, organizational effects (the tendency for related items to cluster during the recall sequence) arise as a consequence of associations between active context elements and features of the studied material. Semantic clustering is due to longstanding context-to-item associations, whereas temporal clustering and source clustering are both due to associations formed during the study episode. A behavioral investigation of the three forms of organization provides data to constrain the CMR model, revealing interactions between the organizational factors. Finally, the authors discuss the implications of CMR for their understanding of a broad class of episodic memory phenomena and suggest ways in which this theory may guide exploration of the neural correlates of memory search.