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Decreased associative processing and memory confidence in aphantasia.
Bianca C Wittmann1, Yılmaz Şatırer1
1Department of Psychology, Justus Liebig University, 35394 Giessen, Germany.
Learning & Memory (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.)
|October 17, 2022
Summary
People with aphantasia, the inability to visualize, show lower memory confidence. This suggests visual imagery specifically impacts confidence, not overall memory recall.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Memory Studies
Background:
- Episodic memory retrieval relies on visual imagery and scene reconstruction.
- Aphantasia, the absence of visual imagery, is linked to poorer autobiographical memory.
- This suggests potential differences in episodic and associative processing in aphantasia.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate associative memory and confidence in individuals with and without aphantasia.
- To explore the role of visual imagery in associative processing.
- To characterize the cognitive profile of aphantasia.
Main Methods:
- An online study comparing aphantasic participants and controls.
- Testing associative recognition and memory confidence for visual-visual, audio-visual, and intraitem associations.
- Analyzing encoding strategies and individual differences in object imagery.
Main Results:
- Aphantasic participants exhibited lower high-confidence recognition across all associative memory tests.
- Auditory-visual association performance correlated with object imagery in aphantasics.
- No significant group differences in overall memory performance were observed.
Conclusions:
- Visual imagery selectively influences memory confidence rather than overall memory performance.
- Aphantasia is associated with reduced associative linking, impacting visual and auditory processing.
- These findings deepen the understanding of visual imagery's role in associative memory.
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