Children's Memory for Atypical Actions in Script-Based Stories: An Examination of the Disruption Effect

ISSN： 0022-0965

Source： Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, Vol.61, Iss.2, 1996-03, pp. : 134-152

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Abstract

The disruption effect was examined in two recall experiments with 6- and 8-year-old children. The disruption effect refers to the finding that atypical actions that disrupt the goal or subgoals in a story are better recalled than atypical actions that are irrelevant to the goals. However, in the first recall experiment, vivid irrelevant actions were better recalled than disruptions that were obstacles (i.e., blocked or impeded the flow of the story's actions in some way), but were not better recalled than disruptions that were distractions, or unexpected mishaps. In order to examine why the disruption effect was found for distractions but not for obstacles several factors were considered, including type of disruption, typicality ratings, and the potential consequences that could be generated from the disruptions. The results of a second recall experiment suggest that disruptions that lead to more potential consequences, particularly more severe consequences, are better recalled than other disruptions. The results of these experiments provide evidence that the disruption effect is more complex than originally believed and may be dependent upon both the type of irrelevant and disruptive atypical actions present in a story.