Specifying a relationship between semantic and episodic memory in the computation of a feature-based familiarity signal using MINERVA 2

Piquing Curiosity: Déjà vu-Like States Are Associated with Feelings of Curiosity and Information-Seeking Behaviors

“…Further, in Experiment 2, the magnitude of the relationship between feelings of curiosity and the experimental manipulation of feature exposure (Exposure 0x, Exposure 1x, Exposure 3x) correspondingly increased, such that as the level of featural match between one’s prior memory traces increased, so did their perceived feelings of curiosity, perhaps suggesting that some forms of curiosity emerge due to feature-matching processes. These patterns of results are similar to those found within the literature examining features held within memory traces and the use of familiarity-detection in recognition memory decisions (e.g., Huebert et al 2022 ; McNeely-White 2020 ; McNeely-White et al 2021 , 2022 ; Ryals and Cleary 2012 ), demonstrating that as the level of featural overlap between the current probe, whether it be a song or a non-word, and prior memory traces created during the encoding phase increases, the level of familiarity-intensity during retrieval failure correspondingly increases, signaling to the experiencer that, even though they are momentarily experiencing retrieval failure, it is likely that the target information is indeed held within memory, as evidenced by the intense feelings of familiarity. Collectively, the patterns of results found in the present study, in conjunction with those previously reported in the literature, provide support for Berlyne’s relative novelty proposal, as they offer a potential mechanism by which perceived familiarity and novelty may prompt a momentary sense of curiosity to resolve the strange sensations.…”

“…Specifically, because Piano Puzzlers do not allow for experimental control over the musical feature overlap between recently heard song clips and the Piano Puzzler test clips, in the present study, we aimed to have a high degree of experimental control over the degree of auditory feature overlap between the study clips and the test clips. Because the degree of feature overlap has been shown to be a major contributing factor to how familiar a test cue seems during retrieval failure ( Huebert et al 2022 ; McNeely-White et al 2021 ; Ryals and Cleary 2012 ), and because this is grounded in theory regarding the purported computational mechanisms behind perceived cue familiarity ( Clark and Gronlund 1996 ; McNeely-White et al 2022 ), in Experiment 2, we used differing degrees of global auditory feature overlap between the test song clips and study song clips as our means of systematically attempting to increase perceived test song clip familiarity during retrieval failure (e.g., McNeely-White et al 2021 ).…”

On the relationship between tip-of-the-tongue states and partial recollective experience: Illusory partial recollective access during tip-of-the-tongue states.

“…As for how a fast-acting familiarity-detection mechanism might operate at a mechanistic level, a candidate possibility is through a global feature-matching mechanism such as that which is specified in the MINERVA 2 model (Hintzman, 1988). Previous research has suggested that semantic features are a type of feature that can participate in the global feature-matching process specified by MINERVA 2 (Cleary et al, 2016; McNeely-White et al, 2022). The way that such a mechanism might work with general knowledge questions is that the semantic features present in a general knowledge question might be matched with semantic features stored in the knowledge base to produce a familiarity signal.…”

What Flips Attention?

“…Another recent study showed that systematically increasing a cue's perceived familiarity level during retrieval failure led to a corresponding increase in false recollective experience (another possible indicator of retrieval search effort; Huebert, McNeely‐White, & Cleary, 2022). Thus, rather than merely being an error‐prone, highly inaccurate form of memory, familiarity‐detection (and the global feature‐matching mechanisms thought to drive it; e.g., McNeely‐White, McNeely‐White, & Cleary, 2021; McNeely‐White, McNeely‐White, Huebert, Carlaw, & Cleary, 2022) may instead have an important useful purpose in the overall memory system and also in directing attention more broadly.…”