Voices to remember: Comparing neural signatures of intentional and non-intentional voice learning and recognition

Recent electrophysiological evidence suggests a rapid acquisition of novel speaker representations during intentional voice learning. We investigated effects of learning intention on voice recognition, using a variant of the directed forgetting paradigm. In an old/new recognition task following voice learning, we compared performance and event-related brain potentials (ERPs) for studied voices, half of which had been prompted to be remembered (TBR) or forgotten (TBF). Furthermore, to assess incidental encoding of episodic information, participants indicated for each recognized test voice the ear of presentation during study. During study, TBR voices elicited more positive ERPs than TBF voices (from ∼250 ms), possibly reflecting deeper voice encoding. In parallel, subsequent recognition performance was higher for TBR than for TBF voices. Importantly, above-chance recognition for both learning conditions nevertheless suggested a degree of non-intentional voice learning. In a surprise episodic memory test for voice location, above-chance performance was observed for TBR voices only, suggesting that episodic memory for ear of presentation depended on intentional voice encoding. At test, a left posterior ERP OLD/NEW effect for both TBR and TBF voices (from ∼500 ms) reflected recognition of studied voices under both encoding conditions. By contrast, a right frontal ERP OLD/NEW effect for TBF voices only (from ∼800 ms) possibly reflected additional elaborative retrieval processes. Overall, we show that ERPs are sensitive 1) to strategic voice encoding during study (from ∼250 ms), and 2) to voice recognition at test (from ∼500 ms), with the specific pattern of ERP OLD/NEW effects partly depending on previous encoding intention.