The Generation and Recall of Personally Relevant Information

An important problem common to the processes of generating and recalling ideas is restricted access to information. Node-link mapping is a visual representation technique that may facilitate access through spatial and verbal cuing. In the present study, students' generation and recall of personally relevant information with techniques that varied in the use of spatial and verbal aspects of node-link maps were examined. The participants generated ideas for 2 self-selected topics and then were tested for recall of their generated ideas 48 hr later. It appears, at least in the present experimental context, that link types initially interfere with cognitive processes that may otherwise operate smoothly. The students who used node-link maps appeared to become more proficient over time than the students who used listing.