Remembering source evidence from associatively related items: explanations from a global matching model

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Human Memory Research
• Computational Neuroscience

Background:

• Source memory, the ability to recall the origin of information, is crucial for accurate recall.
• Prior research suggests associative cues can influence memory retrieval, but their specific impact on source memory is less understood.
• Understanding factors affecting source memory is key to cognitive models of memory.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate how strongly associated primes affect the accuracy of source memory for target words.
• To examine whether primes presented in the same or different source as the target influence source memory recall.
• To test the predictive power of the MINERVA 2 computational model on observed source memory effects.

Main Methods:

• Participants encoded target words under three conditions: same-source primes, different-source primes, or no primes.
• Source memory accuracy was measured by participants' ability to identify the original source of the target words.
• The MINERVA 2 model was used to simulate retrieval processes and predict experimental outcomes.

Main Results:

• Source memory accuracy increased when primes were in the same source as the target word.
• Source memory accuracy decreased when primes were in a different source compared to the no-prime condition.
• In one experiment, different-source primes led to an illusion of the target word being present in multiple sources.

Conclusions:

• Associated primes significantly modulate source memory accuracy, with same-source primes enhancing and different-source primes impairing recall.
• The MINERVA 2 model successfully predicts these effects, indicating that source decisions rely on a global match between retrieval cues and memory representations.
• These findings contribute to a deeper understanding of associative memory processes and the mechanisms underlying source monitoring.