The More, the Merrier? A Study on Group Structure's Impact on Individual and Collective Memory

ABSTRACT The study examined the impact of group structure on individual and collective memory using a socially shared retrieval‐induced forgetting (SS‐RIF) paradigm with categorized exemplar words. A mixed design study with a 2 (group structure: member‐identical, member‐reconfigured) × 2 (interaction roles: speaker, listener) × 4 (item types: Rp+, Rp−, Nrp+, Nrp−) was conducted. Listeners in both groups exhibited SS‐RIF, with no significant difference in forgetting. The member‐identical group demonstrated a higher level of collective memory (overlapping items both members remembered or forgotten after collaboration) than the member‐reconfigured group. No significant difference was found in collective recollection (i.e., items commonly remembered). However, the member‐reconfigured group exhibited lower collective forgetting (i.e., items commonly forgotten). These results suggest repeated interactions with the same group are more conducive to forming collective memories, while interacting with a different person each time offers greater re‐exposure benefits, leading to enhanced recall and less forgetting of the discussed information.