EDUCATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY

Chapter 2, page 49

2.8b. An associative network with multiple, meaningful connections for remembering that
oranges are grown in California.

Another way to promote retrieval is to use retrieval frames. A retrieval frame is a general set of
categories that a student can use to help remember key ideas. Suppose a student is studying a sixth-grade
social studies text in which each chapter describes a different nation. The student could facilitate the
retrieval of the information in the chapters by using this set of categories to help her remember:
people:
language:
geography:
religion:
customs:
economy:

By applying this frame to the retrieval task, the learner makes it less likely that she will omit crucial
information. Studies with sixth-graders (Ohlhausen & Roller, 1987) have shown that students who use
this type of frame when they study learn more information.
Rachel could help herself remember facts about lobsters and other animals by using a retrieval
frame such as this one:
animal name: __
where it lives: __
what it eats: __
how it eats: __
how it protects itself: __
surprising facts: __

Why do frames such as these help students learn more? The are at least two reasons: one focuses
on encoding and one on retrieval. First, the frames help students select which information to encode as
they are learning. For example, Rachel will remember to encode facts about how lobsters eat if she uses
the frame to help her decide what is important to remember. Second, the frames aid retrieval. For example,

California

oranges

grows

Florida

grows

warm, sunny

has climate has

are similar need

winter freezes

seldom

has

seldom

has

cannot live through