A Framework of Episodic Updating: An Account of Memory Updating After Retrieval

One of the functional roles posited for retrieval-induced memory malleability is that it allows memories to be updated with new information. A large body of literature from the cognitive and neurocognitive traditions has shown that retrieval can facilitate new learning. However, there is also recent evidence demonstrating that retrieval can impair new learning. Current models of episodic retrieval primarily focus on the processes and contextual updating as they relate to target retrieval. However, any account of episodic retrieval should also be able to accommodate the finding that retrieval can both facilitate and impair learning of new information presented after the retrieval attempt. A framework of episodic updating is presented that aims to synthesize these contrasting effects. In the framework, emphasis is given to the postretrieval processing phase of episodic retrieval. This phase has been characterized as involving interactive metamemory processes that monitor and control facets of the retrieval process with respect to the current goals for retrieval. This chapter ends with a discussion of the practical implications of updating after retrieval in educational practice.