Abstract

Two experiments investigated the effects of survival processing on memory for pictures of objects.
In experiment 1, participants were presented with 32 pictures of common objects and rated them
for their relevance to a survival scenario, a moving home scenario, or for pleasantness. In a surprise
recall test, participants in the survival condition recalled more of the verbal labels of the objects
than participants in the moving and pleasantness conditions. In experiment 2, participants
rated 64 pictures of objects in survival, moving home, or pleasantness conditions. Memory for
visual detail was assessed using a forced-choice recognition test in which participants had to
decide which of two highly similar pictures was the one they rated at study. In contrast to the
results of experiment 1, correct recognition scores were highest in the pleasantness condition
and lowest in the survival condition. This pattern suggests that survival processing enhances
memory for objects but not for precise visual detail. The findings are consistent with the view
that rating objects for their survival value directs attention to the potential uses of the objects.
They also emphasise the importance of the match between encoding and retrieval processes in
the survival processing paradigm.