Differential effects of contextual congruency on recognition and retrieval of perceptual details

Prediction errors arising from contextual violations play a fundamental role in learning and memory, yet their effects remain controversial. While some research suggests prediction errors enhance memory for incongruent information, other evidence shows that schema-congruent events are better remembered. This study investigates how contextual congruency during encoding affects both recognition memory and retrieval of fine-grained perceptual details. Using object-scene pairings, we examined whether predictions based on memory schemas differentially influence the encoding of congruent versus incongruent information. The Mnemonic Similarity Task (MST) was adapted to incorporate naturalistic scene contexts. Participants viewed indoor scenes with contextually congruent or incongruent objects during encoding, then classified single objects as "old" (previously encountered at the encoding phase), "similar" (objects perceptually similar to previously encountered), or "new". Memory was assessed using the Corrected Recognition score (REC) for recognition accuracy, the Lure Discrimination Index (LDI) for fine-grained perceptual detail retrieval and discrimination, and the Rate of Correct Scores (RCS) for processing efficiency. Contextually congruent objects yielded significantly higher recognition accuracy and processing efficiency compared to incongruent objects. However, no congruency advantage was found for the retrieval of fine-grained perceptual details, with equivalent performance across conditions. These findings suggest that predictions based on memory schemas enhance encoding and retrieval of general item information, facilitating recognition and reducing cognitive demands. In contrast, encoding of fine-grained perceptual details appears unaffected by contextual congruency. These differential effects between recognition and retrieval of perceptual details offer important insights into how predictions influence distinct aspects of memory encoding.