Does Spatial Context Come First? Examining the Temporal Dynamics of Episodic Autobiographical Memory
Year: 2014
Type: dissertation
Abstract: This study examined the temporal dynamics of episodic autobiographical memory (EAM) and the role spatial information plays in retrieval. We cued participants with familiar items consisting of locations and non-locations, and assessed the time taken to recall a memory, the first thing that came to mind when recalling the event, and the vividness of the memory. We found that location cued memories were recalled more quickly than non-location cued memories and that participants were more likely to select a location as the first thing that came to mind. Furthermore, the likelihood of selecting a location as the first thing that came to mind was associated with better self-reported trait memory functioning, as measured by the survey of autobiographical memory (SAM). The current study demonstrates that spatial information plays an early and fundamental role in memory retrieval and recollection, and that the experience of remembering can be manipulated by using different cues.
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Melissa Hebscher
Language: English
Subfield: Cognitive Neuroscience
Field: Neuroscience
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2803167041