ABSTRACT
Two naturalistic memory experiments tested a procedural reinstatement hypothesis, according to which long-term retention is better for procedural information (motoric, perceptual, or cognitive operations) than for declarative information (facts or knowledge). The experiments examined retention of information from a drivers' manual. The declarative questions (e.g., height from ground of fastening license plates) differed from the procedural questions (e.g., distance from curb when parking) in the extent to which they involved driving procedures although they had identical numerical answers. The advantage for procedural questions was evident for recall tests but not for recognition tests, suggesting that procedural reinstatement is most crucial for retrieval of information.
