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Updated: Oct 28, 2025

Olfactory Context Dependent Memory: Direct Presentation of Odorants
Published on: September 18, 2018
Anticipation of novel environments enhances memory for incidental information
Danlu Cen1, Christos Gkoumas1, Matthias J Gruber1
1Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC), School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Wales CF24 4HQ, United Kingdom.
Abstract:
Novelty is a potent driver of learning, but little is known about whether anticipation of novelty can enhance memory for incidental information. Here, participants incidentally encountered objects while they actively navigated toward novel or previously familiarized virtual rooms. Across immediate and delayed surprise memory tests, participants showed superior recollection for incidental objects encountered while anticipating novel as compared with familiarized rooms. Furthermore, memory for incidental objects correlated positively with between-participants average curiosity about novel rooms but negatively with within-participants trial-specific curiosity. Our findings contribute to the growing literature on how salient processes impact memory for incidental material.
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