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. 2025 Feb;116(1):198-215.
doi: 10.1111/bjop.12747. Epub 2024 Nov 13.

The role of surface and structural similarities in the retrieval of realistic perceptual events

Lucas Raynal  1   2 , Evelyne Clément  2 , Emmanuel Sander  1
Affiliations

The role of surface and structural similarities in the retrieval of realistic perceptual events

Lucas Raynal et al. Br J Psychol. 2025 Feb.

Abstract

This study investigated whether structural similarities (i.e. abstract frames, e.g. once bitten twice shy) can prevail over surface similarities (i.e. contexts, e.g. restaurant) in driving the retrieval of realistic events involving dynamic, multimodal and perceptually crowded data. After watching an initial set of video clips, participants had to indicate whether a new video clip, that shared surface similarities with an initial event and structural similarities with another one, elicited a retrieval. The results of Experiment 1A showed that retrieval was more likely to be elicited by structural rather than by surface similarities. Experiment 1B confirmed that the surface similarities manipulated in this study were strong enough to elicit substantial retrievals when the competing structural match was neutralized. The pattern of results obtained in Experiment 1A remained unchanged when the number of unrelated video clips within the initial set was increased. The findings suggest that structurally based retrievals still prevail when familiar structures underlie realistic perceptual events. They open new perspectives regarding the settings that promote structurally based retrievals in educational contexts where unfamiliar principles are introduced.

Keywords: analogy; ecological validity; memory retrieval; multimodality; perceptual richness; transfer.

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Conflict of interest statement

We have no conflict of interest to disclose. The original data and study analysis code will be made available on the corresponding author's OSF account prior to publication of this manuscript.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Description of the video clips with surface and structural similarities (set 1).
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Proportion of each type of retrieval in Experiment 1A. Superficially dissimilar analogues, superficially similar disanalogues and superficially dissimilar disanalogues are videoclips that share, respectively, only structural similarities, only surface similarities, or neither kind of similarities. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. ***p < .001.
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Proportion of each type of retrieval in Experiment 1A. Superficially dissimilar analogues, superficially similar disanalogues and superficially dissimilar disanalogues are videoclips that share, respectively, only structural similarities, only surface similarities, or neither kind of similarities. Error bars represent 95% confidence intervals. ***p < .001.
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