Context and semantic object properties interact to support recognition memory

We have a great capacity to remember a large number of items, yet memory is selective. While multiple factors dictate why we remember some things and not others, it is increasingly acknowledged that some objects are more memorable than others. Recent studies show semantically distinctive objects are better remembered, as are objects located in expected scene contexts. However, we know little about how object semantics and context interact to facilitate memory. Here we test the intriguing hypothesis that these factors have complementary benefits for memory. Participants rated the congruency of object-scene pairs, followed by a surprise memory test. We show that object memory is best predicted by semantic familiarity when an object-scene pairing was congruent, but when object-scene pairings were incongruent, semantic statistics have an especially prominent impact. This demonstrates both the item and its schematic relationship to the environment interact to shape what we will and will not remember.