Forgetting under difficult conditions: Item-method directed forgetting under perceptual processing constraints

Intentional forgetting of unwanted items is effortful, yet directed seems to improve when a secondary task performed. According the cognitive load hypothesis forgetting, allocating attentional resources another improves by restricting encoding to-be-forgotten (TBF) items. Alternatively, it might be that anything makes studying more difficult will encourage greater effort perform well and therefore lead improved intentional forgetting. To assess these proposals we imposed data-processing limitations on study words in an item-method paradigm. Across six experiments, perceptual quality was manipulated varying: (1) duration word presentation (Experiments 1–4); (2) contrast displayed against its visual background (Experiment 5); or (3) amount noise which presented 6). In Experiments 4–6, lexical decision corroborated difficulty processing. Despite evidence relatively low high noise, particular, create challenging conditions, found no impacts magnitude effect. This work suggests data have discernible effect corroborate only resource