Effect of delay in testing on retention of plausible versus bizarre mental images

In 2 experiments, 114 college students were presented with 24 plausible and 24 bizarre interacting images and were then given an unexpected recall test. In Exp I, noun pairs associated with bizarre images had a facilitative effect when an extended delay (7 days) occurred between presentation and recall. In Exp II, the development of this facilitation was traced by testing at 5 delay intervals within a 7-day period. The advantage of bizarre imagery became evident after 3-5 days. (14 ref)