The influence of encoding conditions, type of product, and contents in memory for ads

Laburpena

The main objective of this thesis was to study the memory for ads. We wereinterested in how the encoding conditions, type of product advertised andelements of the ad affect memory for ads. We were also concerned with theimpact that daily activities, different types of media and different memory taskshave on the processing of ads. Six experiments were conducted with anecological perspective, i.e., with realistic materials and an incidental exposure tothe ads. Participants were exposed to programmes or texts in which ads wereembedded. Following a distractor task, they completed a memory test. Theresults showed that the encoding conditions, such as the programme in whichthe ads were embedded, affected the retrieval of the ads. Specifically, we foundthat boring programmes induced a strict response criterion (Article 1), while adsthat did not share a common theme with the programmes in which they wereembedded were better remembered (Article 2). Although a divided attentiontask that mimicked daily usage of radio did not impair memory for radio ads,differences in confidence ratings suggested that participants hadmisconceptions about how memory works (Article 2). The results also showedthat products remembered in a free recall task were rated as more interestingthan those retrieved in the cued recall test, suggesting that different memorytasks produce different types of products depending on their interest (Article 3).Products of interest were better remembered and, importantly for futureresearch, concealed the effects of other variables like those related withprogrammes (Article 4). Regarding the elements that form the ads, betteraccuracy was found with low-typicality elements but more hits and false alarmswith high-typicality elements (Articles 1, 2, and 4). Lastly, data suggest that thedifferences in the flow of information in different types of media should beconsidered in future research (Article 4). Theoretical implications and practicalapplications of the results of this thesis are discussed.