Inert gas narcosis and the encoding and retrieval of long-term memory
Wendy Kneller1, Malcolm Hobbs2
1Department of Psychology, University of Winchester, Hampshire, UK. wendy.kneller@winchester.ac.uk
Aviation, Space, and Environmental Medicine
|January 28, 2014
Summary
Inert gas narcosis (IGN) impairs memory recall, especially during deep processing tasks at high pressures. This suggests IGN affects self-guided information search rather than initial encoding.
Area of Science:
- Human physiology
- Cognitive psychology
- Diving medicine
Background:
- Inert gas narcosis (IGN) is known to impair memory recall.
- Previous research suggested IGN affects encoding or retrieval processes.
- A prior study indicated IGN impacts information encoding.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of ambient pressure on memory recall under different processing levels.
- To replicate and refine findings on how IGN affects cognitive functions.
- To differentiate the impact of IGN on memory encoding versus retrieval.
Main Methods:
- An underwater field experiment was conducted with 34 divers.
- Ambient pressure was varied between 1-11 msw and 35-41 msw.
- Free recall memory performance was assessed using shallow and deep processing tasks.
Main Results:
- Memory recall was significantly worse at high ambient pressure in the deep processing condition.
- IGN did not significantly impair recall in the shallow processing condition.
- The benefit of deep over shallow processing on recall was eliminated at high ambient pressure.
Conclusions:
- The findings support the hypothesis that IGN affects self-guided information search during retrieval.
- Unlike prior research, this study suggests IGN's primary impact is on retrieval, not encoding.
- It is proposed that IGN may affect both encoding and retrieval, warranting further investigation.
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