Memory, metamemory, and false memory for features of the Apple logo

Abstract

Our memory for common, easily recognizable logos, like the Apple logo, is surprisingly poor because of attentional saturation, where we stop attending to details of frequently encountered objects. This lack of attention to details may leave us susceptible to misinformation effects. Across four experiments, we tested recognition memory for the Apple logo after incidentally encoding an accurate or altered version of the logo (Experiments 1–3), or after no incidental encounter of the logo prior to the surprise test (Experiment 4). Additionally, participants rated how much they liked the logo as a measure of processing fluency. Results demonstrated that incidentally viewing an altered version of the Apple logo can disrupt subsequent recognition of the correct logo, but this effect may diminish following a short delay. Considering our frequent exposure to everyday stimuli, we show conditions in which memory for a ubiquitous stimulus can be disrupted when incidentally presented with inaccurate information.

Memory and metamemory in everyday settings: Assessing recall, recognition, and naming using car brand logos

“…Interestingly, variables such as sex, being a user of Apple devices or even having a very positive emotional attachment to the brand did not predict better performance on memory tasks. More recently, Whatley et al (2023) tested recognition memory for the Apple logo under three different conditions: (1) after incidental exposure to an accurate or (2) an altered version of the logo or (3) no incidental encounter of the logo prior to the surprise test. The results showed that the incidental display of the altered logo disrupted the subsequent recognition of the correct logo compared to the other two conditions, although this effect diminished following the introduction of a 5-min delay period between incidental encoding and testing.…”

“…Despite their continued presence and relevance in our daily environment, to our knowledge, only three studies have examined visual memory for brand visual logos, Iancu & Iancu, 2017;Whatley et al, 2023), and all three studies have focused exclusively on the Apple logo. assessed how undergraduate students drew and recognized the genuine Apple logo among modified versions acting as distractors.…”