Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Interference and Decay01:16

Interference and Decay

201
Forgetting is a complex cognitive phenomenon influenced by several factors, among which interference and decay are particularly prominent. These processes explain why individuals often struggle to retrieve specific information from memory, leading to lapses in recall that can be observed in everyday situations.
Interference occurs when competing memories hinder the retrieval of particular information. It can be classified into two types: proactive and retroactive interference. Proactive...
201
Forgetting01:21

Forgetting

122
Forgetting is an intrinsic aspect of human memory, characterized by the gradual loss or inaccessibility of information over time. Hermann Ebbinghaus, a pioneering psychologist, extensively studied this phenomenon and formulated the forgetting curve. This curve illustrates that memory loss occurs rapidly immediately after learning and then decelerates over time. Several mechanisms contribute to forgetting, including encoding failure, storage decay, retrieval failure, and interference.
Encoding...
122
Storage01:23

Storage

130
A schema is a mental framework that helps individuals organize and interpret information. Schemata, formed from previous experiences, influence how we process new information: how we encode it, the inferences we make, and how we retrieve it. For instance, a schema for what a typical classroom looks like might include desks, a teacher's desk, a whiteboard, and students in such an environment. This expectation helps us quickly understand and navigate new classrooms without needing to analyze...
130
Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory01:22

Chunking and Rehearsal in Sensory Memory

292
Improving short-term memory can be achieved through techniques like chunking and rehearsal. Chunking involves organizing information into larger, more manageable units. This technique is particularly useful for information that exceeds the typical memory span of between five and nine items. For instance, logging into an online account with a password like "ta89vq0179gz" involves grouping letters and numbers into three chunks—ta89, vq01, and 79gz. It makes large amounts of...
292
Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory01:26

Higher Mental Functions of Brain: Learning and Memory

961
Memory is one of the most vital higher mental functions of the brain. Memory is closely related to learning because it enables us to retain information and experiences from our past to use them in our present life. It also helps us to remember facts, events, and skills, such as riding a bike or swimming. There are two types of memory — declarative memory, which involves memorizing facts or events, and procedural memory, which enables us to remember how to do something like writing or...
961
Implicit Memories01:24

Implicit Memories

190
Implicit memories, also known as non-declarative memories, are long-term memories that function outside of conscious awareness. These memories influence behavior and skills without explicit knowledge. This type of memory is evident in tasks like playing tennis, snowboarding, and texting. Implicit memory has three subsystems: procedural memory, conditioning, and priming. This type of memory is essential in various activities, from everyday tasks to specialized skills.
One key aspect of implicit...
190

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Where we look, what we know: how hippocampal predictions shape, and are shaped by, eye movements.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same author

Brain Structures and Cognitive Decline: Moderation Analysis of the PACt-MD Randomized Clinical Trial of Brain Stimulation Plus Cognitive Remediation in Older Adults With Remitted Depression or Mild Cognitive Impairment.

The American journal of geriatric psychiatry : official journal of the American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry·2026
Same author

The Canadian multi-ethnic research on aging (CAMERA) study: Design, participant characteristics, and preliminary findings.

Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association·2026
Same author

Novelty Discrimination of Configural Objects in the Perirhinal and Anterolateral Entorhinal Cortices Is Impacted by Aging.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same author

Phase-Locking Saccades to Posterior Alpha Oscillations Improves the Neural Representation of Visual Objects during Memory Formation.

The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience·2026
Same author

The Feasibility and Acceptability of a Remotely Delivered, Combined Exercise Intervention on Cognitive Function in Patients With Breast Cancer Following Chemotherapy: Randomized Controlled Trial.

JMIR cancer·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 6, 2025

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

13.7K

The structure of prior knowledge enhances memory in experts by reducing interference.

Erik A Wing1, Ford Burles1, Jennifer D Ryan1,2

  • 1Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest Health Sciences, Toronto, ON M6A 2E1, Canada.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|June 23, 2022
PubMed
Summary

Expert knowledge fundamentally changes how item similarity affects memory. For bird experts, taxonomic and conceptual knowledge, not just appearance, improved memory recall for bird species.

Keywords:
expertiseknowledgememoryorganizationschema

More Related Videos

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
07:59

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

8.0K
Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
11:17

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Published on: August 24, 2012

35.6K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Sep 6, 2025

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions
10:38

A Cognitive Paradigm to Investigate Interference in Working Memory by Distractions and Interruptions

Published on: July 16, 2015

13.7K
Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory
07:59

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

8.0K
Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear
11:17

Extinction Training During the Reconsolidation Window Prevents Recovery of Fear

Published on: August 24, 2012

35.6K

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Expertise Studies

Background:

  • Prior knowledge significantly influences memory, but its precise impact on episodic recognition is complex.
  • Understanding how expertise alters memory processes is crucial for cognitive science.
  • Interitem similarity, the perceived resemblance between items, is a key factor in memory, yet its interaction with expertise is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how expert knowledge fundamentally shifts the relationship between interitem similarity and episodic recognition.
  • To compare how similarity is represented in the minds of experts versus novices.
  • To determine the mechanisms by which expertise aids memory, especially when items are highly similar.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited expert birdwatchers and matched controls.
  • Characterized psychological similarity spaces for local (familiar) and nonlocal (unfamiliar) bird species.
  • Assessed episodic recognition memory and related similarity judgments and knowledge organization.

Main Results:

  • Expert similarity judgments were driven by taxonomic features, while controls relied on color.
  • Controls showed increased recognition memory ('oldness') with higher global similarity, aligning with classic models.
  • Experts' memory for local birds depended on species-level name knowledge; for nonlocal birds, it relied on generalized conceptual space organization, not global similarity.

Conclusions:

  • Expertise fundamentally reshapes psychological similarity spaces, aiding memory by resolving challenges posed by highly similar items.
  • Episodic memory in experts can leverage detailed subcategory knowledge or, in its absence, the relational structure of concepts.
  • Generalized knowledge, even without item-specific details, supports episodic recognition in expert domains by altering the typical similarity-memory link.