Journal
PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
Volume 23, Issue 9, Pages 955-960Publisher
SAGE PUBLICATIONS INC
DOI: 10.1177/0956797612441220
Keywords
long-term memory; memory enhancement; memory consolidation; wakeful resting; episodic memory; cognitive neuroscience
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Funding
- Alzheimers Research UK [ART-RF2006-1] Funding Source: researchfish
- Epilepsy Research UK [P1006] Funding Source: researchfish
- National Institute for Health Research [CL-2009-13-004] Funding Source: researchfish
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A brief wakeful rest after new verbal learning enhances memory for several minutes. In the research reported here, we explored the possibility of extending this rest-induced memory enhancement over much longer periods. Participants were presented with two stories; one story was followed by a 10-min period of wakeful resting, and the other was followed by a 10-min period during which participants played a spot-the-difference game. In Experiment 1, wakeful resting led to significant enhancement of memory after a 15- to 30-min period and also after 7 days. In Experiment 2, this striking enhancement of memory 7 days after learning was demonstrated even when no retrievals were imposed in the interim. The degree to which people can remember prose after 7 days is significantly affected by the cognitive activity that they engage in shortly after new learning takes place. We propose that wakeful resting after new learning allows new memory traces to be consolidated better and hence to be retained for much longer.
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