Recognition without awareness in humans and its implications for animal models of episodic memory

Voss, Joel L.; Paller, Ken A.

doi:10.4161/cib.2.3.7822

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Furthermore, it is just as important to refrain from assuming that tests intended to measure explicit memory necessarily do so, as overall performance can reflect combinations of both explicit and implicit memory processing. Premature assumptions based on an overemphasis on self-reported memory experiences have already generated considerable confusion in the memory literature (e.g., with respect to familiarity memory and implicit memory, as reviewed here, and with respect to the development of animal models of explicit memory, as suggested by Voss & Paller, 2009b). The reach of these missteps is being amplified as memory paradigms become increasingly important for mechanistic descriptions of more general psychological functions (e.g., Rosburg et al, 2011, as described above).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

More than a feeling: Pervasive influences of memory without awareness of retrieval

Voss

Lucas

Paller

2012

Cognitive Neuroscience

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114

108

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The subjective experiences of recollection and familiarity have featured prominently in the search for neurocognitive mechanisms of memory. However, these two explicit expressions of memory, which involve conscious awareness of memory retrieval, are distinct from an entire category of implicit expressions of memory that do not entail such awareness. This review summarizes recent evidence showing that neurocognitive processing related to implicit memory can powerfully influence the behavioral and neural measures typically associated with explicit memory. Although there are striking distinctions between the neurocognitive processing responsible for implicit versus explicit memory, tests designed to measure only explicit memory nonetheless often capture implicit memory processing as well. In particular, the evidence described here suggests that investigations of familiarity memory are prone to the accidental capture of implicit memory processing. These findings have considerable implications for neurocognitive accounts of memory, as they suggest that many neural and behavioral measures often accepted as signals of explicit memory instead reflect the distinct operation of implicit memory mechanisms that are only sometimes related to explicit memory expressions. Proper identification of the explicit and implicit mechanisms for memory is vital to understanding the normal operation of memory, in addition to the disrupted memory capabilities associated with many neurological disorders and mental illnesses. We suggest that future progress requires utilizing neural, behavioral, and subjective evidence to dissociate implicit and explicit memory processing so as to better understand their distinct mechanisms as well as their potential relationships. When searching for the neurocognitive mechanisms of memory, it is important to keep in mind that memory involves more than a feeling.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

More than a feeling: Pervasive influences of memory without awareness of retrieval

Voss

Lucas

Paller

2012

Cognitive Neuroscience

Self Cite

114

108

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Furthermore, it is just as important to refrain from assuming that tests intended to measure explicit memory necessarily do so, as overall performance can reflect combinations of both explicit and implicit memory processing. Premature assumptions based on an overemphasis on selfreported memory experiences have already generated considerable confusion in the memory literature (e.g., with respect to familiarity memory and implicit memory, as reviewed here, and with respect to the development of animal models of explicit memory, as suggested by Voss & Paller, 2009b). The reach of these missteps is being amplified as memory paradigms become increasingly important for mechanistic descriptions of more general psychological functions (e.g., Rosburg et al, 2011, as described above).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

On the contribution of unconscious processes to recognition memory

Cleary

2012

Cognitive Neuroscience

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Voss et al. review work showing unconscious contributions to recognition memory. An electrophysiological effect, the N300, appears to signify an unconscious recognition process. Whether such unconscious recognition requires highly specific experimental circumstances or can occur in typical types of recognition testing situations has remained a question. The fact that the N300 has also been shown to be the sole electrophysiological correlate of the recognition-without-identification effect that occurs with visual word fragments suggests that unconscious processes may contribute to a wider range of recognition testing situations than those originally investigated by Voss and colleagues. Some implications of this possibility are discussed.

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“…For instance, Voss and Paller ( 2010 ) suggested that the relationship between recognition performance and explicit memory might not be so straightforward. Indeed, changes in strategy, based for example on encouragement to guess, can improve recognition performance, but these performance improvements do not always reflect conscious retrieval processes (Voss et al, 2008 ; Voss and Paller, 2009 , 2010 ). Another example can be seen in the change blindness effect.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Accessing forgotten memory traces from long-term memory via visual movements

Càmara¹,

Fuentemilla²

2014

Front. Hum. Neurosci.

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Because memory retrieval often requires overt responses, it is difficult to determine to what extend forgetting occurs as a problem in explicit accessing of long-term memory traces. In this study, we used eye-tracking measures in combination with a behavioral task that favored high forgetting rates to investigate the existence of memory traces from long-term memory in spite of failure in accessing them consciously. In two experiments, participants were encouraged to encode a large set of sound-picture-location associations. In a later test, sounds were presented and participants were instructed to visually scan, before a verbal memory report, for the correct location of the associated pictures in an empty screen. We found the reactivation of associated memories by sound cues at test biased oculomotor behavior towards locations congruent with memory representations, even when participants failed to consciously provide a memory report of it. These findings reveal the emergence of a memory-guided behavior that can be used to map internal representations of forgotten memories from long-term memory.

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Recognition without awareness in humans and its implications for animal models of episodic memory

Cited by 6 publications

References 18 publications

More than a feeling: Pervasive influences of memory without awareness of retrieval

More than a feeling: Pervasive influences of memory without awareness of retrieval

On the contribution of unconscious processes to recognition memory

Accessing forgotten memory traces from long-term memory via visual movements

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