AbstractIt is commonly assumed that memories contribute to value-based decisions. Surprisingly, most theories of value-based decision-making do not account for memory influences on choice. Recently, new interest has emerged in the interactions between these two fundamental processes, mainly using reinforcement-based paradigms. Here, we aimed to study the role memory processes play in non-reinforced preference change. We used the cue-approach training (CAT) paradigm, that is specifically designed to influence choices without external reinforcements. Instead, the paradigm uses the mere association of cued items with a speeded motor response. Previous studies with this task showed that a single training session induces a long-lasting effect of enhanced preferences for high-value trained stimuli, that is maintained for several months. We hypothesized that CAT influences memory accessibility for trained items, leading to enhanced accessibility of their positive associative memories and in turn to preference changes. In two pre-registered experiments, we tested whether memory for trained items was enhanced following CAT, in the short- and long-term, and whether memory modifications are related to choices. We found that memory was enhanced for trained items and that better memory was correlated with enhanced preferences at the individual item level, both immediately and one month following CAT. Our findings show, for the first time, that memory plays a central role in value-based decision-making, even in the absence of external reinforcements. These findings contribute to new theories relating memory and value-based decision-making and set the ground for the implementation of novel behavioral interventions for long-lasting behavioral change.
Ensemble representations are robust to noise inherited from the individual item level
