Remembering Generalizations: Memory Mechanisms Underlying the Generic Recall Bias

Humans express generalizations using both generics (e.g., “Dogs bark”) and explicit quantifiers (e.g., “All dogs bark”). Quantified statements are systematically misremembered as generics more than vice versa, a phenomenon known as the Generic Recall Bias. Yet, the memory processes underlying this bias remain unclear. We investigate whether this phenomenon arises during memory encoding, retention, or retrieval. Here, we taught adults (N = 1,189) generic or quantified statements about a novel social category, and assessed recall immediately and one week later. Replicating and extending prior findings, we found that “all”, “most”, and “some” statements were each significantly misremembered as generics. Critically, longitudinal analyses revealed that misrecall patterns were stable across time and consistent within items, supporting an encoding-based account: quantified information is often encoded without its specific proportional information from the outset. Overall, these results clarify the memory mechanisms underlying human generalization.