Cognitive Control Affects Memory for Targets and Distractors Differently: The Two Faces of Memory Selectivity

Dubravac, Mirela; Meier, Beat (16 April 2019). Cognitive Control Affects Memory for Targets and Distractors Differently: The Two Faces of Memory Selectivity (Unpublished). In: Tagung experimentell arbeitender Psychologen (TEAP). London. 15. - 17. April 2019.

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Task switching leads to reduced selectivity in subsequent memory for task-relevant (targets) over task-irrelevant (distractors) items. This effect is modulated by top-down cognitive control during task switching (Richter & Yeung, 2012; 2015). In order to disentangle the relative effects of cognitive control on targets and distractors, we conducted two experiments, in which we manipulated cognitive control during the encoding phase and tested memory for targets and distractors in a subsequent surprise recognition test. The two experiments differed only in the encoding phase where either random (exp. 1, N = 160) or predictable (exp. 2, N = 160) task switches were administered. In both experiments preparation duration (150 ms vs. 1200 ms) and stimulus duration (500 ms vs. until response) were varied between-subjects in order to investigate the effects of top-down and bottom-up control, respectively. We hypothesized that bottom-up control would also modulate memory selectivity, defined as the ratio of recognized targets to distractors. Generally, manipulations led to diverging effects on targets and distractors. Enhancing target memory was at the expense of distractor memory and vice versa. Longer preparation led to higher memory selectivity but only in the random task switching experiment while there was no effect of preparation in the predictable task switching experiment. Interestingly, in both experiments higher memory selectivity was obtained through longer stimulus presentation. These findings render strong support for a link between cognitive control and memory in the sense of a cognitive mechanism controlling the gate to long-term memory.

Item Type:

Conference or Workshop Item (Paper)

Division/Institute:

07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Cognitive Psychology, Perception and Methodology
07 Faculty of Human Sciences > Institute of Psychology > Developmental Psychology

Graduate School:

Swiss Graduate School for Cognition, Learning and Memory (SGS-CLM)

UniBE Contributor:

Dubravac, Mirela, Meier, Beat

Subjects:

100 Philosophy > 150 Psychology

Language:

English

Submitter:

Mirela Dubravac

Date Deposited:

08 Oct 2019 08:02

Last Modified:

29 Mar 2023 23:36

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/133661

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