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Our research focuses broadly on human
memory with a special focus on the causes and
consequences of forgetting. We are
particularly interested in the role of forgetting in
resolving competition during retrieval, overcoming
fixation in thinking and problem solving, updating
autobiographical memory, and facilitating new learning,
especially in the context of the interactions between
memory and technology.
Developing a more complete understanding of how
people learn, think, and remember requires a more
complete understanding of how and why we forget.
Mechanisms of Forgetting in Human Memory
When
attempting to retrieve a target item, non-target items
associated with the same retrieval cue can become
activated, creating competition, and requiring that the
items causing that competition be selected against, or
inhibited. This inhibition
may explain a rather unintuitive observation—that
retrieving some items from memory causes the forgetting
of other items in memory, a phenomenon known as retrieval-induced
forgetting. Our
research has sought to elucidate the mechanisms
underlying retrieval-induced forgetting and
to explore their potential role in memory and other
cognitive and psychological contexts (for reviews, see
Murayama, Miyatsu, Buchli, & Storm, 2014; Storm,
2011a; 2011b; 2018; Storm, Angello, Buchli, Koppel,
Little, & Nestojko, 2015; Storm & Levy, 2012). There are many instances in which it
would be impossible to create or generation something
new without sufficient context and background. In
other instances, however, existing knowledge can cause
mental fixation by impeding the generation of new ideas
and creative solutions. Whether in the context of
art, engineering, or science, to create or to think of
something new often requires that we dismiss or move
beyond what we already know. Our research has
examined the mechanisms by which people overcome
fixation to generate creative ideas and solve seemingly
insoluble problems (e.g., Angello, Storm, & Smith,
2015; Ditta & Storm, 2017; 2018; George, Wiley,
Koppel, & Storm, 2019; Koppel & Storm, 2012;
2014; Storm & Angello, 2010; Storm,
Angello, & Bjork, 2011; Storm & Bui,
2016; Storm, Ditta, & George, 2020; Storm &
Hickman, 2015; Storm & Patel, 2014). Learning and
Metacognition Students
and teachers tend to create conditions of learning that
facilitate effortless acquisition and high levels of
immediate performance. It
becomes clear after a delay, however, that these
conditions are not nearly as effective as they appear to
be. The crux of the problem
seems to lie in people’s view of forgetting as the
undoing of learning, rather than as a critical component
of learning. In
this line of research, we explore the mechanisms by
which forgetting, difficulty, and uncertainty enable new
learning. Specific issues
under investigation include spacing, generation,
testing, test scheduling, mind wandering, and
highlighting, as well as metacognitive considerations
related to learning (e.g., Bjork, Little, & Storm,
2014; Bjork & Storm, 2011; James & Storm,
2019; Little, Storm & Bjork, 2011; Overoye
& Storm, 2015; 2019; Overoye, James & Storm,
2021; Soares & Storm, 2020; Storm & Bjork; 2016;
Storm, Bjork, & Storm, 2010; Storm & Bui, 2016;
Storm, Friedman, Murayama, & Bjork, 2014; Storm
& Hickman, 2015; Storm, Hickman, & Bjork, 2016;
Yue, Storm, Kornell, & Bjork, 2015). Cognitive
Offloading and Digital Technology The ways in which people learn,
remember, socialize, and solve problems have all been
reshaped by technological innovation. We are
exploring memory dynamics in the context of computers,
smartphones, and the Internet, focusing in particular on
how people interact with digital technologies to engage
in cognitive offloading and form transactive memory
systems (Marcos & Storm, 2018; Storm, 2019; for a
review, see Storm & Soares, 2022). Our work
has shown, for example, that saving old information on a
computer can make it easier to learn new information,
that taking photos with an iPhone can make it more
difficult to remember the experience being photographed,
and that using the Internet to retrieve information can
influence metacognitive judgments and a person's
tendency to rely on the Internet to retrieve other
information. Our research suggests that basic
memory functions are being affected by the ready
availability of external storage and the type of
accessibility afforded by digital technology (e.g.,
Ditta, Soares, & Storm, in press; Fellers,
Miyatsu, & Storm, in press; Giebl et al., 2021;
Schooler & Storm, 2021; Soares & Storm, 2018;
2022; in press; Stone & Storm, 2021; Storm, James,
& Stone, 2022; Storm & Stone, 2015; Storm,
Stone, & Benjamin, 2017).
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