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Suppressing memory associations impacts decision-making preference: Evidence from the think/no-think paradigm
Chen Lu1, Yuetong Lu1, Jianqin Wang1
1Department of Psychology, Fudan University, China.
Consciousness and Cognition
|January 15, 2024
Summary
Suppressing specific memories impairs decision-making. Forgetting unwanted associations changes how people make choices, impacting decision bias and preferences in reinforcement tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Decision Science
Background:
- Episodic memory plays a crucial role in guiding decision-making processes.
- Forgetting, a natural aspect of memory, can influence decisions reliant on specific memories.
- The impact of intentionally suppressing episodic memories on decision-making remains under-explored.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of episodic memory suppression on reinforcement decision-making.
- To examine how inhibiting the recall of learned associations influences subsequent choices.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a pre-registered study design combining the Think/No-think paradigm with a reinforcement decision-making task.
- Assessed the impact of memory suppression on the ability to recollect learned associations.
- Measured changes in decision bias and preferences following memory suppression.
Main Results:
- Memory suppression significantly impaired the recollection of learned associations.
- Participants' decision bias vanished after the suppression of associated memories.
- A positive correlation was observed between the number of recalled memory associations and decision preferences.
Conclusions:
- Episodic memory is integral to reinforcement decision-making.
- Suppression of memory associations can lead to observable behavioral consequences.
- Targeted memory suppression offers insights into the mechanisms underlying decision-making.
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