Journal
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY-GENERAL
Volume 150, Issue 5, Pages 873-889Publisher
AMER PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOC
DOI: 10.1037/xge0000827
Keywords
context reinstatement; episodic memory; visual attention; eye movements; memory-guided exploration
Categories
Funding
- National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Grant [T32NS047987]
Ask authors/readers for more resources
The study found that memories for episodes have a temporal structure, with individuals being able to reinstate eye movement sequences between different events during complex scene viewing, which weaken over time and are associated with successful memory. Even after considering consistent eye movements produced by inherent scene properties, memory-driven reinstatement still occurs.
Memories for episodes are temporally structured. Cognitive models derived from list-learning experiments attribute this structure to the retrieval of temporal context information that indicates when a memory occurred. These models predict key features of memory recall, such as the strong tendency to retrieve studied items in the order in which they were first encountered. Can such models explain ecological memory behaviors, such as eye movements during encoding and retrieval of complex visual stimuli? We tested predictions from retrieved-context models using three data sets involving recognition memory and free viewing of complex scenes. Subjects reinstated sequences of eye movements from one scene-viewing episode to the next. Moreover, sequence reinstatement decayed over time and was associated with successful memory. We observed memory-driven reinstatement even after accounting for intrinsic scene properties that produced consistent eye movements. These findings confirm predictions of retrieved-context models, suggesting retrieval of temporal context influences complex behaviors generated during naturalistic memory experiences.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available