FAMILIARITY TRANSFER AS AN EXPLANATION OF THE DÉJÀ VU EFFECT.

Area of Science:

• Cognitive Psychology
• Neuroscience of Memory

Background:

• Déjà vu is often attributed to unconscious familiarity transfer, but empirical tests focus on priming.
• Existing models lack comprehensive testing of the proposed mechanisms for déjà vu.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review existing déjà vu explanations and propose a novel cognitive model.
• To empirically test six key assumptions of the proposed cognitive model for déjà vu.

Main Methods:

• 119 participants assessed familiarity with novel stimuli under subliminal priming conditions.
• Experiments involved priming with known vs. novel stimuli and measuring reaction times.
• Three experiments were conducted to test specific model assumptions.

Main Results:

• Participants reported higher familiarity for novel stimuli preceded by known stimuli.
• Reaction times were longer when novel stimuli were preceded by known stimuli, contradicting simple priming.
• Results supported all six assumptions of the proposed cognitive model.

Conclusions:

• The study provides empirical support for a cognitive model of déjà vu involving unconscious familiarity transfer.
• Findings suggest déjà vu arises from a conflict between perceived novelty and transferred familiarity.
• The model offers a framework for understanding the mechanisms underlying the déjà vu experience.