Exploring Shared Reality as an Underlying Mechanism Behind Concurrent Retrieval and Socially Shared Retrieval Induced Forgetting

Abstract

The present research begins to investigate the desire to create a shared reality as the underlying mechanism behind concurrent retrieval (the process responsible for Socially Shared Retrieval Induced Forgetting). In a modification of the Retrieval-Induced Forgetting paradigm, participants were prompted to either listen to a speaker from their in-group or a speaker from their out-group selectively recall information. I tested for SS-RIF and a Practice effect in the Listeners. Participants in the in-group condition experienced a significant SS-RIF effect but did not experience a significant practice effect. Participants in the out-group condition did not experience a significant SS-RIF effect, however, the participants did experience a significant Practice effect. The results demonstrate that: (1) participants pay attention to both in-group and out-group speakers; (2) something specific to in-group membership drives concurrent retrieval. Further studies must be conducted to exclude alternative hypothesis behind concurrent retrieval.