The future-orientation of memory: Planning as a key component mediating the high levels of recall found with survival processing

Abstract

In a series of papers, Nairne and colleagues have demonstrated that tasks encouraging participants to judge words for relevance to survival led to better recall than did tasks lacking survival relevance. Klein, Robertson, and Delton (2010) presented data suggesting that the future-directed temporal orientation of the survival task (e.g., planning), rather than survival per se, accounts for the good recall found with the task. In the present studies we manipulated the amount of survival and planning processing encouraged by a set of encoding tasks. Participants performed tasks that encouraged processing stimuli for their relevance to (a) both survival and planning, (b) planning, but not survival, or (c) survival but not planning. We predicted, and found, that recall performance associated with tasks encouraging planning (i.e., survival with planning and planning without survival) should exceed tasks that encouraged survival but not planning (i.e., survival without planning). We draw several conclusions. First, planning is a necessary component of the superior recall found in the survival paradigm. Second, memory, from an evolutionary perspective, is inherently prospective—tailored by natural selection to support future decisions and judgements that cannot be known in advance with certainty.

The temporal orientation of memory: It's time for a change of direction.

“…For example, Nairne's (2005Nairne's ( , 2010 advocacy of memory as a system evolved to enhance survival (clearly a future-oriented enterprise; e.g., Klein et al, 2011) has resulted in a highly active program of research exploring the effects of encoding conditions (survival versus non-survival) on measures of retention (e.g., Burns, Hwang, & Burns, 2011;Butler, Kang, & Roediger, 2009;Kang, McDermott, & Cohen, 2008;Klein, 2012;Klein, Lax, et al, 2010;Klein, Robertson, et al, 2010, Klein et al, 2011Kroneisen & Erdfelder, 2011;Nairne & Pandeirada, 2008;Nairne, Pandeirada, Gregory, & Van Arsdall, 2009;Otgaar, Smeets, & van Bergen, 2010;Soderstorm & McCabe, 2011;Weinstein, Bugg, & Roediger, 2008; for recent reviews, see Howe & Otgaar, 2013;Klein, in press). Another approach to memory that emphasizes its futureoriented aspects is that of memory in its prospective capacities (for review, see Brandimonte, Einstein, & McDaniel, 1996).…”

“…If information processing is inherently prospective (and it is; Bar, 2010;Bradley, 1887;De Brigard, 2013;Klein, Cosmides, et al, 2002;Klein, Lax, et al, 2010;Klein, Robertson, et al, 2010;Klein et al, 2011;Suddendorf & Corballis, 2007;Tulving, 2005), the inability to anticipate future contingencies would be an evolutionary dead-end for animals that depend for their survival (and hence reproductive success) on such fitness-enhancing adaptations. Clearly, this is not the case.…”

“…(Klein, Cosmides, et al, 2002, p. 313: emphasis added). An evolved capacity to imagine and plan for future contingencies confers an enormous selective advantage on its possessor (Klein, Lax, et al, 2010;Klein, Robertson, et al, 2010;Klein, Roberson, & Delton, 2011;Suddendorf, Addis, & Corballis, 2009;Tulving, 2005).…”

Does optimal recall performance in the adaptive memory paradigm require the encoding context to encourage thoughts about the environment of evolutionary adaptation?

“…For example, Klein and colleagues (Klein, in press-b;Klein et al, 2010Klein et al, , 2011Klein et al, 2012) have argued that the mechanisms that mediate the excellent memory found with survival tasks used in the adaptive memory paradigm have more to do with factors such as planning and self-reference than with either survival context or even survival per se (for a review, see Klein, in press-a). For example, tasks that encouraged participants to plan for future contingencies but did not reference either the EEA or thoughts of survival (e.g., planning a birthday party) produced recall statistically indistinguishable from tasks promoting thoughts of survival on the savannah.…”

Fit to last: Exploring the longevity of the survival processing effect

“…Following these findings, there has been a surge of interest in adaptive memory. Research appears to show consistently that survival processing is a more effective encoding task than other types of semantic processing paradigms, including imagery and selfreference (Kang, McDermott & Cohen, 2008;Nairne, Pandeirada & Thompson, 2008;Nairne, Pandeirada, Gregory & Van Arsdall, 2009;Burns, Burns & Hwang, 2011;Otgaar et al, 2011;Soderstrom & McCabe, 2011;Seamon et al, 2012;Bröder, Krüger & Schütte, 2011;Klein, 2012;Nairne, VanArsdall, Pandeirada & Blunt, 2012;Nouchi & Kawashima, 2012;Howe & Otgaar, 2013;Pandeirada, Pinho & Faria, 2014; but for exceptions, see Butler, Kang & Roedier, 2009;Klein, Robertson & Delton, 2010;Klein, Robertson & Delton, 2011). All in all, it has been suggested that survival processing may be "the 'best of the best' of known encoding procedures" (Nairne, Pandeirada & Thompson, 2008, p. 180).…”