Pretty sure this phenomenon is actually a subset of "Transfer Appropriate Processing" from psych class: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer-appropriate_proc

Pretty sure this phenomenon is actually a subset of "Transfer Appropriate Processing" from psych class: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer-appropriate_processing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transfer-appropriate_processin... The "doorway effect" seems to be one expression of that larger phenomenon in which memory recall is largely influenced by the context in which it was encoded. It's the reason that if you're cramming for an exam, to the extent you can recreate the exact conditions of your study environment to mirror those of the test-taking environment, you'll do better.