Episodic refabrication of biologically significant information in script recall

Recent theoretical attention in the study of memory processes has shifted from the perspective of cognitive architecture to an adaptionist view. This has resulted in the formulation of questions pertaining to the brain’s innate capacity to organize information and build scenarios using genetic schemata to enhance the meaningfulness of material. Our study used the episodic refabrication methodology of Owens, Bower, and Black (1979) to test the evolutionary hypothesis of gender specific cognitive mechanisms which are differentially sensitive to biologically salient information. The results replicate and support the findings of others concerning the effect of scripts and schemata on episodic refabrication and also revealed significantly shorter free recall latencies for males when the to-be-recalled material was given biological relevance. These differences are interpreted in support of the adaptionist perspective.