Testing enhances memory for context

The beneficial effect of retrieval practice on memory is a well-established phenomenon. Despite the wealth of research on this testing effect, it is unclear whether the benefits of testing extend beyond the tested information to include memory for the context in which the memoranda were encountered. Three experiments examined the effect of testing on memory for context using a standard variant of a traditional item-context memory task, in which cue-target word pairs (the items) were presented on the computer screen in varying locations (the contexts). All experiments revealed an enhancement to memory for context following retrieval practice of the items, regardless of whether that retrieval took place in a neutral (Experiments 1 and 2) or in an interfering (Experiment 3) location. These results support the view that retrieval practice elicits retrieval of relatively comprehensive prior episodes, rather than of only semantic aspects of the prior episodes relevant to the practice cues.