Memory最新文献

Retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) refers to the finding that selective retrieval practice of a subset of studied items can impair recall of related unpracticed items, relative to recall of unrelated control items. Using categorized study material, we examined in two experiments how the retention interval between retrieval practice and test (1 min, 4 h, 24 h, or 7 d) influences the size of this RIF effect. Across both experiments, the RIF effect was robust at shorter retention intervals (1 min, 4 h) but disappeared at longer intervals (24 h, 7 d). Unlike prior work, we also fitted power functions of time to the recall rates of unpracticed and control items to examine forgetting rates of the two types of items. Analysis of the function's parameters showed that while unpracticed items were initially impaired, they were forgotten more slowly over time than control items, making RIF disappear at longer retention intervals. Results are discussed with respect to prominent accounts of RIF.

Knowledge builds through direct experiences (e.g., teaching) and productive processes (e.g., analogy). There is variability in the specific productive process of self-derivation of new knowledge through integration of separate yet related episodes of new learning. The variability relates to each of four hypothesised precursor sub-processes: encoding, reactivation, integration (all three for both children and adults), and selection (tested in children only). However, relations between each sub-process and self-derivation have been investigated in separate samples. As such, how they work together to support self-derivation is unknown. In the current research, we investigated all four sub-processes in samples of 7-11-year-olds (Study 1) and college-age adults (Study 2). In the child sample and in the combined sample of children and adults, encoding, reactivation, and integration each were found to relate to self-derivation; selection was not related to self-derivation. In the children sample and in the combined sample of children and adults, cluster analyses revealed two paths to successful self-derivation, one of which was more prompt-independent and the other seemingly was dependent on prompts. There also were two paths to unsuccessful self-derivation, both characterised by low success at encoding. The results provide new insight into sources of variability in self-derivation through memory integration.

This study explores the factors influencing the perceived significance of public events among middle-aged adults in Turkey, focusing on the role of political identity. A representative sample of participants from various regions of Turkey (329 females, Mage = 47.26, SD = 1.82; 330 males, Mage = 47.37, SD = 1.83) assessed various characteristics of public events. The results showed that personal significance, relevance to national identity, political significance, and unexpectedness were the strongest predictors of event significance, while emotional impact and consequentiality did not significantly predict perceived significance. Political identity also influenced perceptions, with supporters of the ruling AKP (Justice and Development Party) and opposition CHP (the Republican People's Party) showing different priorities in event significance. Additionally, higher SES was linked to greater perceived significance of events, while higher education was associated with lower significance ratings. These results highlight the complex interplay between political identity, demographic factors, and event characteristics in shaping public event perception.

Schacter (1999, 2001) has provided a taxonomy for studying memory distortions that suggests there are seven "sins" of memory: misattribution, persistence, suggestibility, bias, absent-mindedness, blocking, and transience. Although there has been a great deal of evidence that these memory distortions occur among individuals, few studies have examined the effects of discussion on false memories. In the present study, we presented seven memory tasks, each designed to elicit a different memory sin, to participants who either encoded the information individually or engaged in discussion within groups of 2 or 3 while retrieving the information. We found widespread evidence of all seven memory sins, whether participants engaged in discussion during retrieval or not. Group discussion increased actual memory for information. Regarding memory sins, group discussion increased misattribution and persistence, and decreased transience. Discussion had no significant effect on suggestibility, bias, absent-mindedness, or blocking. We discuss implications for situations where people attempt to retrieve memories while discussing them.

Prospective memory is the ability to remember to perform a planned activity in a future situation. Because of the strong sociability of older adults, their prospective memory performance is easily affected by prosocial motivation. The purpose of this study was to explore the influence of prosocial motivation on prospective memory and its components in older adults. Specifically, we recruited 101 older adults (aged 60-75 years) and 115 younger adults (aged 18-25 years) to participate in this experiment. We used a 2 (group) × 2 (age) × 2 (attention load) between-subjects design. Prosocial motivation was induced by instruction. The results showed that, compared with the control group, the accuracy of prospective memory and ongoing task in the prosocial motivation group was higher under different attention load and age conditions. Concurrently, the response speeds of the prospective memory and the ongoing tasks were slower. The results from the beta-MPT model analysis showed that under the condition of low attention load, the prospective component of the prosocial motivation group was higher than that of the control group. The results showed that prosocial motivation could promote prospective memory performance of both older adults and younger adults, an outcome unaffected by attention load. Prosocial motivation mainly ensures the monitoring and confirmation of prospective memory cues in high attention load condition by slowing down the response speed of both younger and older adults, thus improving prospective memory performance. The registration number is ChiCTR2500105119.

Researchers have recently demonstrated that people tend to experience spontaneous mental simulations of what might happen next - i.e., the approximal future - and that such simulations are especially likely to focus on possible negative outcomes in relation to sources of perceived threat in the surrounding environment. The purpose of the two studies (N = 318) reported in this manuscript was to better characterise the generalizability of simulations of the approximal future across the lifespan. Participants were asked to report memories of approximal simulations of the future and to indicate whether the events they reported were triggered by any relevant past experiences. Across both studies, we found consistent evidence that people, irrespective of age, remember simulations of the approximal future that are disproportionately characterised by negative as opposed to positive valence, and that these memories tend to be remembered as being triggered by some relevant personal, vicarious, or media event. These findings suggest that mental simulation and memory work flexibility to support threat detection.

In today's digital world, people are documenting their lives more extensively than ever before. To investigate how this pervasive (digital) documentation shapes the way individuals reconstruct and recall personally relevant events, we conducted a preregistered experimental think-aloud study in which participants (N = 40; German sample) were asked to remember their birthdays from 2019 and 2024 in as much detail as possible. Participants completed the study in their usual home environments and were allowed to consult any external resources that they wanted to consult. The results demonstrate that participants almost exclusively used digital external resources. Moreover, participants relied more heavily on external resources when recalling the more distant birthday. Importantly, the use of external resources was an overall adaptive strategy, insofar as it helped participants gain new insights that went beyond what they could recall from internal memory alone. This provides further evidence that integrating information stored in one's mind and information stored in the environment is a potentially beneficial and symbiotic process.

Encoding lists of categorised words produces robust false memory for non-presented exemplars but few false memories for category labels. The present research examined the conditions under which categorical false memories can be elicited by variations in list composition in which a subset of category labels was presented for half of the lists. In Experiment 1, participants encoded lists of exemplars with or without the presence of category labels under full or divided attention conditions. Presentation of a subset of category labels produced false memories for non-presented labels and dividing attention reduced this effect. In Experiment 2, participants encoded lists as in Experiment 1 and prior to retrieval, were (or were not), given warnings about the nature of false memory effects and to avoid false memory errors. Categorical false memories arose when a subset of labels was encoded and warnings did not significantly reduce their magnitude, testifying to the robustness of this effect. Explanations are considered from the perspective of activation monitoring, fuzzy trace theory and how encoding and subsequent monitoring interact.

Recovered memories (RM) of trauma remain a contentious issue in psychological research and clinical practice, with ongoing debates about their prevalence and validity. This systematic review synthesizes empirical evidence from 42 studies published post-2000, following the "Memory Wars", to examine the prevalence of RM and associated contextual factors across diverse populations. Prevalence rates vary significantly: 1-3% in legally documented childhood sexual abuse (CSA) cases, 22-39% in self-reported CSA survivor samples, 6-19% in therapy attendees, and 3-13% in general population samples. Variability is driven by differences in operational definitions (e.g., total amnesia vs. partial forgetting), sample types, and recovery contexts (e.g., therapy-induced vs. spontaneous triggers). Therapist reports indicate 27-78% have encountered clients with RM, with caseload proportions ranging from 0.56% to 20%, influenced by theoretical orientation and training. Purposive studies reveal no unique cognitive mechanisms for RM, with experiences often reflecting conscious suppression, meta-awareness failures, or environmental cueing rather than special dissociative processes. These findings support a reconstructive memory framework, emphasizing cognitive, motivational, and environmental factors. The review highlights the need for standardized definitions, cross-cultural research, and enhanced therapist training to address risks of suggestive practices and develop evidence-based guidelines for supporting clients reporting RM in the absence of concerns regarding suggestion.

Research on the saying-is-believing effect shows that individuals tune their messages to match the audience's attitude and subsequently exhibit memory bias in the same direction. However, its implications in the context of collective memory remain understudied. Drawing on social identity theory, prior research suggests that people reconstruct memories of their group's past selectively, emphasising positive aspects and minimising negative ones. Using a 2 × 2 factorial design, this study examined the saying-is-believing effect in national history by manipulating audience attitude (positive vs. negative) and message production (with vs. without message generation). Results show that the effect extends to national history, with participants tuning their messages and biasing their memory according to the audience's attitude. However, those high in nationalism showed neither message tuning nor memory bias. These findings suggest that for individuals high in nationalism, social identity motivations override the epistemic and relational motives that typically drive the saying-is-believing effect.