ABSTRACT
The term 'encoding' is used in this chapter refers the establishing of episodic information in memory. The chapter begins by looking in some detail at two common types of encoding strategy. The first type makes use of imagery and involves the cognitive elaboration of the nominal stimulus. The second type of strategy utilizes semantic relations between list items to integrate them into organized memory units. This may be seen as a form of reduction coding in that the organization reduces the amount of information that need be retained. Encoding in long-term storage may be achieved through effortful strategies directed specifically at learning and remembering, or as a consequence of cognitive activity in the absence of any intention to learn. The chapter discusses both aspects of encoding. Finally, it considers some effects of processes involved in comprehending sentences and passages of text on what is encoded in memory.
