Semantic and perceptual encoding lead to decreased fine mnemonic discrimination following multiple presentations.

Competitive trace theory holds that semanticization following reactivation is characterised by a fidelity loss in the memory representation due to the competition between different traces formed after each occurrence of a given stimulus. This is manifested in the Mnemonic Similarity Task as an increase in hits and in false recognition of similar lures. We tested this account across two encoding conditions emphasising the perceptual versus semantic features of the items, which were presented either once or three times. Our results supported the hypothesis that semanticization following repetition occurs regardless of the type of encoding induced.