Retrograde amnesia and the "reminder effect": an alternative interpretation.

Recent findings suggest that amnesic agents block the retrieval of stored information. "Reminder" treatments, such as noncontingent punishments given after the production of amnesia for avoidance learning, improve the later retention performance of an animal. The data reported suggest that noncontingent treatments provide an additional learning experience which adds to the retention performance of partially amnesic or poorly trained animals.