Episodic memory processes modulate how schema knowledge is used in spatial memory decisions

Schema knowledge can dramatically affect how we encode and retrieve memories. Current models propose that schema information is combined with episodic memory at retrieval to influence memory decisions, but it is not known how the strength or type of episodic memory (i.e., unconscious memory versus familiarity versus recollection) influences the extent to which schema information is incorporated into memory decisions. To address this question, we had participants search for target objects in semantically expected (i.e., congruent) locations or in unusual (i.e., incongruent) locations within scenes. In a subsequent test, participants indicated where in each scene the target had been located previously, then provided confidence-based recognition memory judgments that indexed recollection, familiarity strength, and unconscious memory for the scenes. In both an initial online study (n=133) and replication (n=59), target location recall was more accurate for schema-congruent than incongruent locations, but importantly, this effect was strongest for unconscious memory, decreased with familiarity strength, and was eliminated entirely for recollected scenes. Moreover, when participants recollected an incongruent scene but did not correctly remember the target location, they were still biased away from congruent regions—suggesting that detrimental schema bias was suppressed in the presence of recollection even when precise target location information was not remembered. The results indicate that episodic memory modulates how schemas are used: Schema knowledge contributes to spatial memory judgments primarily when episodic memory fails to provide precise information, and recollection can override schema bias completely.

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Creative people use memory differently: Divergent thinking modulates how episodic memory is combined with semantic knowledge

10.31234/osf.io/fgkwq ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Michelle M. Ramey ◽

Darya Zabelina

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Divergent Thinking ◽

Memory Function ◽

Memory Task ◽

Semantic Knowledge ◽

Spatial Accuracy ◽

Creative People ◽

Memory Processes ◽

Thinking Ability ◽

Unconscious Memory

The ability to generate novel ideas, known as divergent thinking, is dependent on both semantic knowledge and episodic memory. Semantic knowledge and episodic memory are known to interact to support memory decisions, but it is not known how they may interact to support divergent thinking. We addressed this question by examining whether divergent thinking ability moderates interactions between semantic knowledge and different episodic memory processes in a spatial memory task. Participants completed the Alternative Uses Test to assess divergent thinking ability, then completed a memory task in which they searched for target objects that were either placed in semantically expected or semantically unexpected locations within scenes. In a subsequent test, participants indicated where in each scene the target object had been located previously (i.e., spatial accuracy test), then provided confidence-based recognition memory judgments that indexed distinct episodic memory processes (i.e., recollection, familiarity strength, and unconscious memory) for the scenes. We found that higher divergent thinking ability predicted 1) an increased benefit from putatively hippocampus-based episodic memory (i.e., recollection and unconscious memory) on spatial accuracy overall, and 2) beneficial differences in how semantic knowledge was combined with recollection and unconscious memory to influence spatial accuracy. In contrast, there were no effects of divergent thinking with respect to non-hippocampal memory (i.e., familiarity). These findings indicate that semantic knowledge and episodic memory function differently in highly divergent thinkers. In particular, these results suggest that divergent thinking is supported by the ability to flexibly combine semantic knowledge with episodic memory, particularly hippocampus-based memory.

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Release from output interference in recognition memory: A test of the attention hypothesis

Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology ◽

10.1080/17470218.2017.1310265 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 71 (5) ◽

pp. 1081-1089 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Amy H Criss ◽

Cristina Salomão ◽

Kenneth J Malmberg ◽

William Aue ◽

Aslı Kılıç ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Stimulus Type ◽

Test List ◽

Memory Testing ◽

Costs And Benefits ◽

Output Interference ◽

Initial Test ◽

Memory Accuracy ◽

Attention Hypothesis

Retrieval results in both costs and benefits to episodic memory. Output interference (OI) refers to the finding that episodic memory accuracy decreases with increasing test trials. Release from OI is the restoration of original accuracy at some point during the test. For example, a release from OI in recognition memory testing occurs when the semantic similarity between stimuli decreases midway through testing, suggesting that item representations stored on early trials cause interference on tests occurring on later trials to the extent that the earlier items share features with the latter items. In two recognition memory experiments, we demonstrate release from OI for words and faces. We also test whether release from OI is the result of interference or is due to a boost in attention caused by reorienting to a novel stimulus type. A test for the foils presented during the initial test list supports the interference account of OI. Implications for models of memory are discussed.

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Modulation of human intracranial theta oscillations during freely moving spatial navigation and memory

10.1101/738807 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Zahra M. Aghajan ◽

Diane Villaroman ◽

Sonja Hiller ◽

Tyler J. Wishard ◽

Uros Topalovic ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Episodic Memory ◽

Spatial Memory ◽

High Frequency ◽

Medial Temporal Lobe ◽

Spatial Navigation ◽

Grid Cell ◽

Cell System ◽

Theta Oscillations ◽

Neural Basis ◽

Freely Moving

SummaryHow the human brain supports accurate navigation of a learned environment has been an active topic of research for nearly a century1–5. In rodents, the theta rhythm within the medial temporal lobe (MTL) has been proposed as a neural basis for fragmenting incoming information and temporally organizing experiences and is thus widely implicated in spatial and episodic memory6. In addition, high-frequency theta (~8Hz) is associated with navigation, and loss of theta results in spatial memory deficits in rats 7. Recently, high-frequency theta oscillations during ambulatory movement have been identified in humans8,9, though their relationship to spatial memory remains unexplored. Here, we were able to record MTL activity during spatial memory and navigation in freely moving humans immersed in a room-scale virtual reality (VR) environment. Naturalistic movements were captured using motion tracking combined with wireless VR in participants implanted with an intracranial electroencephalographic (iEEG) recording system for the treatment of epilepsy. We found that prevalence of theta oscillations across brain sites during both learning and recall of spatial locations during ambulatory navigation is critically linked to memory performance. This finding supports the reinstatement hypothesis of episodic memory—thought to underlie our ability to recreate a prior experience10–12—and suggests that theta prevalence within the MTL may act as a potential representational state for memory reinstatement during spatial navigation. Additionally, we found that theta power is hexadirectionally modulated13–15 as a function of the direction of physical movement, most prominently after learning has occurred. This effect bears a resemblance to the rodent grid cell system16 and suggests an analog in human navigation. Taken together, our results provide the first characterization of neural oscillations in the human MTL during ambulatory spatial memory tasks and provide a platform for future investigations of neural mechanisms underlying freely moving navigation in humans.

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Toward an Understanding of Individual Differences in Episodic Memory: Modeling the Dynamics Of Recognition Memory

Psychology of Learning and Motivation - Skill and Strategy in Memory Use ◽

10.1016/s0079-7421(07)48008-2 ◽

2007 ◽

pp. 313-349 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Kenneth J. Malmberg

Keyword(s):

Individual Differences ◽

Recognition Memory ◽

Episodic Memory ◽

Memory Modeling

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055 Novel sleep-dependent spatial memory and navigation task using Minecraft

SLEEP ◽

10.1093/sleep/zsab072.054 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 44 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. A23-A23

Author(s):

Katharine Simon ◽

Gregory Clemenson ◽

Brandon Clayton ◽

Jing Zhang ◽

Elisabet Alzueta ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Spatial Memory ◽

Test Performance ◽

Target Location ◽

Spatial Navigation ◽

Memory Task ◽

Spatial Location ◽

Delay Test ◽

Location Accuracy ◽

Median Split ◽

Dependent Learning

Abstract Introduction Spatial navigation and memory are hippocampally-dependent and decrease with age, yet, ecologically-valid methods remain elusive. We developed an engaging and inherently flexible spatial navigation/memory task using the Minecraft platform to test sleep-dependent memory. We validated baseline performance and learning rates across two separate Minecraft environments. Methods Using a within-subjects design, twenty-two subjects experienced two conditions (wake/sleep) and two Minecraft environments, counterbalanced across subjects. At encoding, subjects learned the locations of 12 objects. Memory for object location accuracy and navigation route (distance between start and target; vector: angle of direction towards target location from start) was tested immediately and following 12-hours of wake or sleep. Post-hoc analyses were conducted using a median split on subjects’ Immediate test performance. Results There were no significant differences across conditions for the Immediate test performance (t(22) = .567, p = .576) across the two environments. Delayed test showed greater improvement in accuracy after sleep compared to wake (t(18) = 2.795, p=.012), no differences in distance or vector. Median split by Immediate test performance revealed that initially lower performance showed the greatest improvement after delay in the sleep group (t(18) = 2.818, p =.011), but not the wake group (t(18) = -1.051, p =.308). Additionally, these same subjects’ vector direction was initially worse at Immediate Test (t(18) = -2.9, p = .01), and improved with sleep, becoming equivalent to the better performers at Delay test (t(18) = -.336, p = .74). Conclusion We demonstrate a novel spatial navigation/memory tasks using Minecraft that shows sleep-dependent learning across two distinct environments. We showed enhancement of spatial location accuracy after a night of sleep compared to wake. We further demonstrate that with sleep, those with worse initial performance show the greatest memory and navigation improvement, consistent with other findings that sleep supports enhancement of weaker memories and extended to the spatial-domain. This novel platform can be used to evaluate spatial memory across the lifespan and within special clinical populations. Support (if any) NIH R01 AG061355

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Selective disruption of hippocampus-mediated recognition memory processes after episodes of transient global amnesia

Neuropsychologia ◽

10.1016/j.neuropsychologia.2008.08.019 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 47 (1) ◽

pp. 70-76 ◽

Cited By ~ 24

Author(s):

Theodor Jäger ◽

Kristina Szabo ◽

Martin Griebe ◽

Hansjörg Bäzner ◽

Johanna Möller ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Recognition Memory ◽

Transient Global Amnesia ◽

Memory Processes ◽

Global Amnesia

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Hippocampal Infusion of Zeta Inhibitory Peptide Impairs Recent, but Not Remote, Recognition Memory in Rats

Neural Plasticity ◽

10.1155/2015/847136 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 2015 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jena B. Hales ◽

Amber C. Ocampo ◽

Nicola J. Broadbent ◽

Robert E. Clark

Keyword(s):

Object Recognition ◽

Recognition Memory ◽

Spatial Memory ◽

Dorsal Hippocampus ◽

Late Phase ◽

Recognition Task ◽

Long Term Potentiation ◽

Inhibitory Peptide ◽

Term Potentiation ◽

Novel Object Recognition Task

Spatial memory in rodents can be erased following the infusion of zeta inhibitory peptide (ZIP) into the dorsal hippocampus via indwelling guide cannulas. It is believed that ZIP impairs spatial memory by reversing established late-phase long-term potentiation (LTP). However, it is unclear whether other forms of hippocampus-dependent memory, such as recognition memory, are also supported by hippocampal LTP. In the current study, we tested recognition memory in rats following hippocampal ZIP infusion. In order to combat the limited targeting of infusions via cannula, we implemented a stereotaxic approach for infusing ZIP throughout the dorsal, intermediate, and ventral hippocampus. Rats infused with ZIP 3–7 days after training on the novel object recognition task exhibited impaired object recognition memory compared to control rats (those infused with aCSF). In contrast, rats infused with ZIP 1 month after training performed similar to control rats. The ability to form new memories after ZIP infusions remained intact. We suggest that enhanced recognition memory for recent events is supported by hippocampal LTP, which can be reversed by hippocampal ZIP infusion.

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Differences in cue use and spatial memory in men and women

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2006.3572 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 273 (1598) ◽

pp. 2241-2247 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

Catherine M Jones ◽

Susan D Healy

Keyword(s):

Spatial Memory ◽

Cognitive Abilities ◽

Value Of Information ◽

Visual Features ◽

Location Information ◽

Men And Women ◽

Cue Use ◽

Object Based ◽

Computerized Task ◽

Spatial Problems

Men and women differ in their ability to solve spatial problems. There are two possible proximate explanations for this: (i) men and women differ in the kind (and value) of information they use and/or (ii) their cognitive abilities differ with respect to spatial problems. Using a simple computerized task which could be solved either by choosing an object based on what it looked like, or by its location, we found that the women relied on the object's visual features to solve the task, while the men used both visual and location information. There were no differences between the sexes in memory for the visual features of the objects, but women were poorer than men at remembering the locations of objects.

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