Individual differences in value-directed remembering
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Brain Imaging Investigation of the Neural Correlates of Emotional Autobiographical Recollection
Published on: August 26, 2011
Blake L Elliott1, Samuel M McClure1, Gene A Brewer1
1Department of Psychology, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, United States of America.
Abstract:
Capacity limits in cognition require that valuable information be prioritized for encoding and retrieval. Individual differences in prioritized value-directed encoding may derive from differences in the general ability to encode memories, or from differences in how strategies are altered for different stimuli to modulate maintenance in working memory. We collected multiple cognitive ability measures to test whether variation in episodic memory, working memory capacity, or both predict differences in value-directed remembering among a large sample of participants (n = 205). Confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling was used to assess the contributions of episodic and working memory to value sensitivity in value-directed remembering tasks. Episodic memory ability, but not working memory capacity, was predictive of value-directed remembering. These results suggest that the ability to prioritize memory derives principally from episodic memory ability overall, so that greater capacity also permits greater flexibility.
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