A literature review by Smith & Vela (2001) found "that environmental context-dependent memory effects are less likely to occur under conditions in which the immediate environment is likely to be suppressed… Likewise, memories of experiences may vary in how much they are affected by environmental surroundings, both when events are originally experienced and when events are remembered" (Smith & Vela, p. 203). When researchers gave high priority to enhancing the effects of the test environment, subject's memories were more likely to be altered.
The stakes in understanding context-dependent memory are high: learning environments may enhance memory in school or inhibit memory, and can be redesigned to improve student's education. Context may also affect recall of eyewitnesses in a trial. Regarding the later, studies have suggested that learning under highly emotional condition is not conductive to recall. "Experienced skydivers learned words either in the air or on the ground and recalled them in the same context or in the other context….under extremely emotionally arousing circumstances, environmental and/or mood cues are unlikely to become encoded or linked to newly acquired information and thus cannot serve as cues to retrieval" (Thompson et al. 2001). Research continues to evolve on the topic, and few conclusions have been reached as to which contexts are most conducive to promote accurate memories and enhance recall.
References
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