Depth of Processing
The notion that memory recall of stimuli is a function of the depth of mental processing. Deeper levels of analysis (such as tethering it one's own life or context) produce more elaborate, longer-lasting, and stronger memory traces than shallow levels of analysis (such as rote memorization or visual memorization).
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Origin
Presented by Fergus Craik and Robert Lockhart in their 1972 paper 'Levels of Processing,' published in the Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior. Working at the University of Toronto, they challenged the dominant multi-store memory models of the time.
Updated February 22, 2026