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Long-term semantic representations moderate the effect of attentional refreshing on episodic memory
Vanessa M Loaiza1, Kayla A Duperreault, Matthew G Rhodes
1Département de Psychologie, Université de Fribourg, Rue de Faucigny 2, 1700, Fribourg, Switzerland, vanessa.loaiza-kois@unifr.ch.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|June 15, 2014
Summary
The McCabe effect shows better memory recall after complex tasks, especially for early items. This memory benefit is linked to semantic memory strength and is specific to recollection.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
Background:
- The McCabe effect demonstrates an episodic memory retrieval advantage for items studied in complex span tasks compared to simple span tasks.
- This effect is thought to arise from the need to refresh memoranda during complex span tasks, enhancing content-context binding in working memory (WM).
- Existing theories propose that WM is embedded within long-term memory, suggesting that memory refreshing efficiency may depend on the semantic strength of the memoranda.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether the efficiency of working memory (WM) refreshing, and its impact on episodic memory (EM), is moderated by the semantic representations of memoranda in long-term semantic memory (SM).
- To examine how manipulating the semantic richness of memoranda (words vs. nonwords) influences the McCabe effect and the role of recollection versus familiarity in recognition memory.
Main Methods:
- Participants completed simple and complex span tasks using either words or nonwords as memoranda.
- A recognition memory test followed, requiring participants to make "remember-know" decisions for correctly identified old items.
- This design allowed for the manipulation of semantic representations and the assessment of memory retrieval processes.
Main Results:
- The McCabe effect was replicated, but only for words, not nonwords.
- The memory benefits associated with refreshing opportunities during complex span tasks were specific to recollection, not familiarity.
- The positive relationship between WM refreshing and EM retrieval was contingent on the semantic status of the memoranda.
Conclusions:
- Working memory refreshing's contribution to episodic memory retrieval is not uniform but is specifically linked to recollection.
- The semantic richness of memoranda in long-term semantic memory significantly modulates the effectiveness of working memory refreshing.
- These findings support theoretical frameworks that emphasize the role of refreshing in content-context binding and view working memory as an activated component of long-term memory.
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