The Functional Mind: A Comparative Study of Object Memory Recall on Functional Versus Fact Based Information

Abstract

Evolutionary studies such as Bell, Röer and Buchner (2014) argue functional information about objects to be easier to recall than other forms of information. Based on these discoveries, this study investigated the effect of functional and factual information on the object recall ability of memory. A memory task was applied in which participants were asked to recall information, either function or a fact, of ambiguous objects in two different tasks. The findings in the 'information task' supported previous research such as that of Bell, Röer and Buchner (2014), in which functional information was found to be easier to recall. However, due to methodological issues, the 'name task' found a non-significant difference between the two conditions. Based on the results of the 'Information task', this dissertation argues information about function to significantly improve memory recall and discusses the implications of that knowledge.