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Published on: October 3, 2020
Event-related potential evidence that automatic recollection can be voluntarily avoided
Zara M Bergström1, Jan de Fockert, Alan Richardson-Klavehn
1Goldsmiths, University of London, UK. zara.bergstroem@med.ovgu.de
Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience
|August 16, 2008
Summary
People can use voluntary control to stop recalling unwanted memories. This study shows that conscious control can override even highly practiced, automatic memory recall, impacting memory retrieval theories.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Psychology
Background:
- Voluntary control aids memory retrieval when cues are weak.
- The role of control in suppressing unwanted memories is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if voluntary control can inhibit automatic memory recollection.
- To examine the neural correlates of suppressing unwanted memories.
Main Methods:
- Event-related potentials (ERPs) measured participants' brain activity during memory tasks.
- Participants recollected or avoided recalling trained word-pair associates.
- Instructional cues were switched mid-task to test control flexibility.
Main Results:
- Recollection avoidance showed reduced positivity in the correlate of conscious recollection.
- Instruction switching reversed ERP effects, demonstrating control over practiced memories.
- Suppressing highly potent memories involved an additional, earlier ERP negativity.
Conclusions:
- Voluntary control processes can effectively inhibit automatic memory recollection.
- Attentional processes play a crucial role in modulating conscious memory retrieval.
- Findings offer insights into memory control mechanisms and potential interventions.
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