True directed forgetting in pigeons may occur only when alternative working memory is required on forget-cue trials

Results of directed-forgetting research with pigeons are difficult to interpret because of alternative nonmemorial accounts of performance decrements and important procedural differences from comparable research with humans. Prior research has noted the absence of directed forgetting when artifacts have been removed (e.g., nonreward following forget cues and differences in response patterns on remember and forget trials in training). In this article, it is argued that, in human directed-forgetting research, presentation of a forget cue allows for the reallocation of memory maintenance to items to be remembered. In the present experiment, true directed forgetting is found when nonmemorial performance decrements are eliminated and forget cues allow for the reallocation of sample memory to test-relevant cues.