information:extraction
Context

There are a variety of ways that context can influence memory. Encoding specificity describes how memory performance is enhanced if testing conditions match learning (encoding) conditions. Certain aspects during the learning period, whether it be the environment, your current physical state, or even your mood, become encoded in the memory trace. Later during retrieval, any of these aspects can serve as cues to aid in recognition. For example, research by Godden and Baddeley tested this concept on scuba divers. One group of divers learned lists of words on land, and another group learned underwater. Not surprisingly, test results were highest when the retrieval conditions matched the encoding conditions (those who learned the word lists on land performed best on land, and those who learned underwater performed best underwater). There have also been studies that show similar effects regarding an individual's physical state. This is known as state-dependent learning. Another type of encoding specificity is mood congruent memory, where individuals are more likely to remember material if the emotional content of the material and the prevailing mood at recall matched.