The effect of choice on intentional and incidental memory

Recent studies have revealed that memory performance is better when participants have the opportunity to make a choice regarding the experimental task (choice condition) than when they do not have such a choice (fixed condition). These studies, however, used intentional memory tasks, leaving open the question whether the choice effect also applies to incidental memory. In the current study, we first repeated the choice effect on the 24-h delayed intentional memory performance (experiment 1). Next, using an incidental paradigm in which participants were asked to judge the category of the items instead of intentionally memorizing them, we observed the choice effect on judgment during encoding and memory performance in a 24-h delayed surprise test (experiment 2). Participants judged more accurately and quickly and had better recognition memory for items in the choice condition than for items in the fixed condition. These results are discussed in terms of the role of choice in both intentional and incidental memory.

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The human hippocampus contributes to both the recollection and familiarity components of recognition memory

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1513145112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 112 (46) ◽

pp. 14378-14383 ◽

Cited By ~ 30

Author(s):

Maxwell B. Merkow ◽

John F. Burke ◽

Michael J. Kahana

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Medial Temporal Lobe ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Process Models ◽

Dual Process ◽

Hippocampal Activity ◽

High Frequency Activity ◽

Electrophysiological Signal ◽

Temporal Lobe Lesions

Despite a substantial body of work comprising theoretical modeling, the effects of medial temporal lobe lesions, and electrophysiological signal analysis, the role of the hippocampus in recognition memory remains controversial. In particular, it is not known whether the hippocampus exclusively supports recollection or both recollection and familiarity—the two latent cognitive processes theorized to underlie recognition memory. We studied recognition memory in a large group of patients undergoing intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) monitoring for epilepsy. By measuring high-frequency activity (HFA)—a signal associated with precise spatiotemporal properties—we show that hippocampal activity during recognition predicted recognition memory performance and tracked both recollection and familiarity. Through the lens of dual-process models, these results indicate that the hippocampus supports both the recollection and familiarity processes.

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Memorable words are monogamous: The role of synonymy and homonymy in word recognition memory

10.31234/osf.io/p6kv9 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Kyle Mahowald ◽

Phillip Isola ◽

Evelina Fedorenko ◽

Edward Gibson ◽

Aude Oliva

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Large Scale ◽

Recognition Performance ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Affect Recognition ◽

Rational Analysis ◽

Intended Meaning ◽

The Relationship ◽

With Memory

What makes a word memorable? Prior research has identified numerous factors: word frequency, concreteness, imageability, and valence have all been shown to affect recognition performance. One important dimension that has not received much attention is the nature of the relationship between words and meanings. Under the hypothesis that words are encoded primarily by their meanings, and not by their surface forms, this relationship should be central to determining word memorability. In particular, rational analysis suggests that people will more easily remember words that convey a large amount of informationabout their intended meaning and that have few alternatives – that is, memorable words will be those with few possiblemeanings and synonyms. To test this hypothesis, we ran two large-scale recognition memory experiments (each with 2,222 words, 600+ participants). Memory performance was overall high, on par with memory for pictures in a similar paradigm. Critically, however, not all words were remembered equally well. Consistent with our proposal, the best recognized words had few meanings and few synonyms. Indeed, the most memorable words had a one-to-one relationship with their meanings. Estimates of memorability derived from this rational account explain a large amount of the variance in word memorability.

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Learning From (Test) Experience

Zeitschrift für Psychologie ◽

10.1027/2151-2604/a000424 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 228 (4) ◽

pp. 264-277 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Evan E. Mitton ◽

Chris M. Fiacconi

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Test Performance ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Judgments Of Learning ◽

Visual Images ◽

Memory Tests ◽

Recognition Memory Performance ◽

Study Test ◽

Explicit Feedback

Abstract. To date there has been relatively little research within the domain of metamemory that examines how individuals monitor their performance during memory tests, and whether the outcome of such monitoring informs subsequent memory predictions for novel items. In the current study, we sought to determine whether spontaneous monitoring of test performance can in fact help individuals better appreciate their memory abilities, and in turn shape future judgments of learning (JOLs). Specifically, in two experiments we examined recognition memory for visual images across three study-test cycles, each of which contained novel images. We found that across cycles, participants’ JOLs did in fact increase, reflecting metacognitive sensitivity to near-perfect levels of recognition memory performance. This finding suggests that individuals can and do monitor their test performance in the absence of explicit feedback, and further underscores the important role that test experience can play in shaping metacognitive evaluations of learning and remembering.

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The Role of Eye Contact on Memory Performance

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e633262013-981 ◽

2013 ◽

Author(s):

Sophie Lanthier ◽

Mona Zhu ◽

Crystal Byun ◽

Michelle Jarick ◽

Alan Kingstone

Keyword(s):

Memory Performance ◽

Eye Contact

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Space Radiation-Induced Alterations in the Hippocampal Ubiquitin-Proteome System

International Journal of Molecular Sciences ◽

10.3390/ijms22147713 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 22 (14) ◽

pp. 7713

Author(s):

Alyssa Tidmore ◽

Sucharita M. Dutta ◽

Arriyam S. Fesshaye ◽

William K. Russell ◽

Vania D. Duncan ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Memory ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Space Radiation ◽

Label Free ◽

Proteomic Profiling ◽

Neurocognitive Deficits ◽

Male Wistar Rats ◽

Radiation Induced ◽

Induced Changes

Exposure of rodents to <20 cGy Space Radiation (SR) impairs performance in several hippocampus-dependent cognitive tasks, including spatial memory. However, there is considerable inter-individual susceptibility to develop SR-induced spatial memory impairment. In this study, a robust label-free mass spectrometry (MS)-based unbiased proteomic profiling approach was used to characterize the composition of the hippocampal proteome in adult male Wistar rats exposed to 15 cGy of 1 GeV/n 48Ti and their sham counterparts. Unique protein signatures were identified in the hippocampal proteome of: (1) sham rats, (2) Ti-exposed rats, (3) Ti-exposed rats that had sham-like spatial memory performance, and (4) Ti-exposed rats that impaired spatial memory performance. Approximately 14% (159) of the proteins detected in hippocampal proteome of sham rats were not detected in the Ti-exposed rats. We explored the possibility that the loss of the Sham-only proteins may arise as a result of SR-induced changes in protein homeostasis. SR-exposure was associated with a switch towards increased pro-ubiquitination proteins from that seen in Sham. These data suggest that the role of the ubiquitin-proteome system as a determinant of SR-induced neurocognitive deficits needs to be more thoroughly investigated.

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EEG Correlates of Old/New Discrimination Performance Involving Abstract Figures and Non-Words

Brain Sciences ◽

10.3390/brainsci11060719 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (6) ◽

pp. 719

Author(s):

Monika Toth ◽

Anke Sambeth ◽

Arjan Blokland

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Current Knowledge ◽

Discrimination Performance ◽

Correct Identification ◽

Memory Strength ◽

Verbal Stimuli ◽

Brain Responses ◽

Three Phase ◽

New Item

The processing of pre-experimentally unfamiliar stimuli such as abstract figures and non-words is poorly understood. Here, we considered the role of memory strength in the discrimination process of such stimuli using a three-phase old/new recognition memory paradigm. Memory strength was manipulated as a function of the levels of processing (deep vs. shallow) and repetition. Behavioral results were matched to brain responses using EEG. We found that correct identification of the new abstract figures and non-words was superior to old item recognition when they were merely studied without repetition, but not when they were semantically processed or drawn. EEG results indicated that successful new item identification was marked by a combination of the absence of familiarity (N400) and recollection (P600) for the studied figures. For both the abstract figures and the non-words, the parietal P600 was found to differentiate between the old and new items (late old/new effects). The present study extends current knowledge on the processing of pre-experimentally unfamiliar figurative and verbal stimuli by showing that their discrimination depends on experimentally induced memory strength and that the underlying brain processes differ. Nevertheless, the P600, similar to pre-experimentally familiar figures and words, likely reflects improved recognition memory of meaningless pictorial and verbal items.

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Different Impact of Perceptual Fluency and Schema Congruency on Sustainable Learning

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13137040 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (13) ◽

pp. 7040

Author(s):

Beat Meier ◽

Michèle C. Muhmenthaler

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Cognitive Conflict ◽

Test Phase ◽

Perceptual Fluency ◽

Study Phase ◽

Desirable Difficulties ◽

Design Learning ◽

Cognition And Learning ◽

Incorrect Information

Perceptual fluency, that is, the ease with which people perceive information, has diverse effects on cognition and learning. For example, when judging the truth of plausible but incorrect information, easy-to-read statements are incorrectly judged as true while difficult to read statements are not. As we better remember information that is consistent with pre-existing schemata (i.e., schema congruency), statements judged as true should be remembered better, which would suggest that fluency boosts memory. Another line of research suggests that learning information from hard-to-read statements enhances subsequent memory compared to easy-to-read statements (i.e., desirable difficulties). In the present study, we tested these possibilities in two experiments with student participants. In the study phase, they read plausible statements that were either easy or difficult to read and judged their truth. To assess the sustainability of learning, the test phase in which we tested recognition memory for these statements was delayed for 24 h. In Experiment 1, we manipulated fluency by presenting the statements in colors that made them easy or difficult to read. In Experiment 2, we manipulated fluency by presenting the statements in font types that made them easy or difficult to read. Moreover, in Experiment 2, memory was tested either immediately or after a 24 h delay. In both experiments, the results showed a consistent effect of schema congruency, but perceptual fluency did not affect sustainable learning. However, in the immediate test of Experiment 2, perceptual fluency enhanced memory for schema-incongruent materials. Thus, perceptual fluency can boost initial memory for schema-incongruent memory most likely due to short-lived perceptual traces, which are cropped during consolidation, but does not boost sustainable learning. We discuss these results in relation to research on the role of desirable difficulties for student learning, to effects of cognitive conflict on subsequent memory, and more generally in how to design learning methods and environments in a sustainable way.

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Current Nanocarrier Strategies Improve Vitamin B12 Pharmacokinetics, Ameliorate Patients’ Lives, and Reduce Costs

Nanomaterials ◽

10.3390/nano11030743 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 743

Author(s):

Marco Fidaleo ◽

Stefano Tacconi ◽

Carolina Sbarigia ◽

Daniele Passeri ◽

Marco Rossi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Side Effects ◽

Vitamin B12 ◽

Memory Performance ◽

Oral Route ◽

High Dose ◽

Human Beings ◽

Inborn Errors ◽

Essential Nutrient

Vitamin B12 (VitB12) is a naturally occurring compound produced by microorganisms and an essential nutrient for humans. Several papers highlight the role of VitB12 deficiency in bone and heart health, depression, memory performance, fertility, embryo development, and cancer, while VitB12 treatment is crucial for survival in inborn errors of VitB12 metabolism. VitB12 is administrated through intramuscular injection, thus impacting the patients’ lifestyle, although it is known that oral administration may meet the specific requirement even in the case of malabsorption. Furthermore, the high-dose injection of VitB12 does not ensure a constant dosage, while the oral route allows only 1.2% of the vitamin to be absorbed in human beings. Nanocarriers are promising nanotechnology that can enable therapies to be improved, reducing side effects. Today, nanocarrier strategies applied at VitB12 delivery are at the initial phase and aim to simplify administration, reduce costs, improve pharmacokinetics, and ameliorate the quality of patients’ lives. The safety of nanotechnologies is still under investigation and few treatments involving nanocarriers have been approved, so far. Here, we highlight the role of VitB12 in human metabolism and diseases, and the issues linked to its molecule properties, and discuss how nanocarriers can improve the therapy and supplementation of the vitamin and reduce possible side effects and limits.

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