Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia

Prosopagnosia, also known as face blindness, is the inability to recognize faces. In severe cases, individuals with prosopagnosia may not recognize close family members, including parents and spouses, by their faces. For instance, someone with prosopagnosia might walk past their child in a crowd, only realizing their mistake upon noticing their child's distinctive backpack or favorite jacket. Prosopagnosia specifically impairs facial recognition, while the recognition of other objects or...

Parallel Processing

Parallel Processing

The brain processes sensory information rapidly due to parallel processing, which involves sending data across multiple neural pathways at the same time. This method allows the brain to manage various sensory qualities, such as shapes, colors, movements, and locations, all concurrently. For instance, when observing a forest landscape, the brain simultaneously processes the movement of leaves, the shapes of trees, the depth between them, and the various shades of green. This enables a quick and...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

The beneficial role of curiosity on route memory in children.

Frontiers in cognition·2026

Same author

Popular songs evoke autobiographical memories in younger and older adults: specifying the source.

Neuropsychology, development, and cognition. Section B, Aging, neuropsychology and cognition·2026

Same author

Encouraging registered reports at the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology (CJEP): An invited tutorial by Oshiro et al. (2024).

Canadian journal of experimental psychology = Revue canadienne de psychologie experimentale·2024

Same author

Rare Loot Box Rewards Trigger Larger Arousal and Reward Responses, and Greater Urge to Open More Loot Boxes.

Journal of gambling studies·2019

Same author

The benefits of errorless learning for people with amnestic mild cognitive impairment.

Neuropsychological rehabilitation·2016

Same author

Improving associative memory in older adults with unitization.

Neuropsychology, development, and cognition. Section B, Aging, neuropsychology and cognition·2014

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Published on: June 29, 2021

Process-specific interference effects during recognition of spatial patterns and words.

Myra Fernandes¹, Emma Guild

¹Department of Psychology, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. mafernan@uwaterloo.ca

Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology = Revue Canadienne De Psychologie Experimentale

|March 11, 2009

Summary

Divided attention during memory retrieval interferes with cognitive processes in a manner specific to the type of information processed. This divided attention leads to a more conservative response strategy, impacting recognition memory.

More Related Videos

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Interaction between Phonological and Semantic Processes in Visual Word Recognition using Electrophysiology

Published on: June 29, 2021

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

The (Spatial) Memory Game: Testing the Relationship Between Spatial Language, Object Knowledge, and Spatial Cognition

Published on: February 19, 2018

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Measuring Attention and Visual Processing Speed by Model-based Analysis of Temporal-order Judgments

Published on: January 23, 2017

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Neuroscience
Memory Research

Background:

Divided attention (DA) impacts cognitive functions, including memory retrieval.
Understanding the specific mechanisms of attention's influence on memory is crucial for cognitive models.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate how divided attention (DA) affects recognition memory for different types of information (words vs. visuospatial patterns).
To examine the role of distracting tasks (phonological vs. visuospatial) under full attention (FA) and DA conditions.

Main Methods:

72 young adults participated in a recognition memory task involving words and visuospatial patterns.
Participants were tested under full attention (FA) or divided attention (DA) conditions.
Distractor tasks involved either phonological (rhyme) or visuospatial (curved-line) processing of letters.

Main Results:

A significant interaction revealed that visuospatial distractors more severely impaired spatial pattern recognition, while phonological distractors affected word recognition.
Divided attention (DA) generally increased response bias (C), indicating a more conservative strategy regardless of information type.
Discriminability (d') was differentially affected by distractor type depending on the memory material.

Conclusions:

Memory interference from divided attention (DA) at retrieval is specific to the cognitive processes involved.
Divided attention (DA) at retrieval promotes a more conservative response strategy, adjusting for potential errors.