Retroactive inhibition in advertising

Abstract

A series of 4 full-page advertisements were presented to 40 undergraduates. Some subjects were tested for recall before and after a 10-minute "work" interval occupied in studying two advertisements. Other subjects were tested for recall similarly, but with an interpolated "rest" period involving number cancellation. The average percentage of retroactive inhibition for a whole advertisement is 5.39. The average effect of retroactive inhibition in descending order from 23.5 to 0% on various parts of the advertisement is as follows: slogan, picture, title, reading content, and name of product. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)