Episodic and Semantic Aspects of Memory for Prose

This report describes research on Bartlett's theory of constructive memory. In experiment one, schematic retention is related to Tulving's distinction between episodic and semantic memory. With the passage of time, memory for prose reflects decreasing output from episodic memory and increasing output from semantic memory. In experiment two, Bartlett's theory is related to Craik and Lockhart's levels-of-processing framework. Comprehension of prose involves the creation of multiple codes which are forgotten at different rates. Bartlett's schema is interpreted as a higher-level code that is exceptionally durable over long intervals. The research supports the validity of Bartlett's theory. (Author)