Recognition bias and the physical attractiveness stereotype

Previous studies have found a recognition bias for information consistent with the physical attractiveness stereotype (PAS), in which participants believe that they remember that attractive individuals have positive qualities and that unattractive individuals have negative qualities, regardless of what information actually occurred. The purpose of this research was to examine whether recognition bias for PAS congruent information is replicable and invariant across a variety of conditions (i.e. generalizable). The effects of nine different moderator variables were examined in two experiments. With a few exceptions, the effect of PAS congruence on recognition bias was independent of the moderator variables. The results suggest that the tendency to believe that one remembers information consistent with the physical attractiveness stereotype is a robust phenomenon.     

Mood-congruent memory in depression: emotional priming or elaboration?

We investigated whether mood-congruent memory (MCM) bias in depression is a function of implicit or explicit memory. Implicit memory is taken as a measure of ease of activation, whereas explicit memory also taps elaboration. As expected, MCM bias was found in the explicit memory task but not in the implicit memory task. We believe this finding supports the involvement of elaborative mechanisms in MCM. In addition, memory bias was found with words related to depression but not with words denoting physical threat. Thus, the MCM bias in explicit memory was found to be specific to information that was congruent with depression rather than to all negative information.     

Gender Stereotype Activation versus Lexical Semantic Activation: An ERP Study

It is an open question whether social stereotype activation can be distinguished from nonsocial semantic activation. To address this question, gender stereotype activation (GSA) and lexical semantic activation (LSA) were directly compared. EEGs were recorded in 20 participants as they identified the congruence between prime-target word pairs under four different conditions (stereotype congruent, stereotype incongruent, semantic congruent, and semantic incongruent). We found that congruent targets elicited faster and more accurate responses and reduced N400 amplitudes irrespective of priming category types. The N400 congruency effect (i.e., the difference between incongruity and congruity) started earlier and had greater amplitude for GSA than for LSA. Moreover, gender category priming induced a smaller N400 and a larger P600 than lexical category priming. These findings suggest that the brain is not only sensitive to both stereotype and semantic violation in the post-perceptual processing stage but can also differentiate these two information processes. Further, the findings suggest superior processing (i.e., faster and deeper processing) when the words are associated with social category and convey stereotype knowledge.     

Size and orientation of objects in explicit and implicit memory: A reversal of the dissociation between perceptual similarity and type of test

Memory of size and orientation of objects was tested in explicit and implicit memory tests. Explicit memory was tested by object recognition and by recognition of the congruency of the changed sensory features. Implicit memory was tested by size assessment (Exps. 1 and 2), orientation judgement (Exps. 4 and 5), picture-fragment naming (Exp. 6), and classification (Exps. 3 and 7). Memory of sensory features was investigated by the comparison of performances of test-congruent with test-incongruent stimuli (i.e., same size or orientation vs. different size or orientation). The main result was a dissociation between these two tasks pertaining to the influence of sensory congruency on performance. However, it was in opposition to the usual relationship between the type of test and the perceptual similarity from study to test. In this study explicit, but not implicit, memory depended on sensory congruency. In the explicit tests performances were better when the stimuli were congruent than when they were incongruent. In the implicit test this variation had no influence. To get a repetition effect, it was important only that the object was repeated, and the size of this effect did not depend on sensory congruency. However, a change in another sensory feature — distortions of shape — strongly influenced the size of the repetition effect in the implicit test. Neither transfer-appropriate processing nor a system approach can easily explain this pattern of results. A multi-level, multi-token model is proposed to account for the different effects of sensory features in explicit and implicit memory.     

Implicit memory for negative and positive social information in individuals with and without social anxiety

Studies of memory bias for threat-relevant information in individuals with social anxiety have produced mixed results. These discrepancies may be because investigators have studied different memory processes or have used different memory tasks. We employed a video clarity judgement task to investigate implicit (capacity-free, automatic, unconscious) memory and a recognition task to investigate explicit (effortful, strategic, conscious) memory for threat in socially anxious individuals and nonanxious controls. Implicit memory for "old" (i.e., seen before) videos was defined as rating "old" videos as more clear than "new" (i.e., never seen before) videos. We created brief video clips that involved an actor or actress approaching the camera and commenting on some aspect of the viewer's actions, physical appearance, or belongings. Twenty-four videos were positive (e.g., "I really like your shoes"), and 24 were negative (e.g., "That is a horrible haircut"). Results revealed that the video clarity test was an effective measure of implicit memory. Furthermore, socially anxious individuals showed a larger implicit memory index for negative videos than did nonanxious and dysphoric controls. No group differences emerged for implicit memory for positive videos. Similarly, groups did not differ in recognition of, or false alarms for, positive and negative videos. These results demonstrate the role of implicit memory in social anxiety implying that information about threat may be automatically primed in these individuals.     

言语记忆对视觉选择的影响:基于维度的自动注意引导

两个实验分别考察外显和内隐言语记忆中的特征维度信息对基于维度的视觉选择性注意的自动引导作用。实验一要求被试在言语工作记忆(外显言语记忆)保持阶段完成一个视觉注意任务,结果发现了显著的一致性效应,即记忆任务相关维度和注意任务相关维度不一致条件下的注意任务反应时要显著慢于两者一致条件下的反应时;实验二采用go/no-go任务以考察内隐言语记忆对视觉选择的影响,结果也发现了类似的一致性效应。这些结果表明外显和内隐言语记忆中的抽象维度信息自动引导注意选择视场中与之匹配的视觉维度,而不管该维度是否为当前注意任务的相关维度。     

再认记忆测验中抑郁个体的心境一致性记忆研究

采用Ｊａｃｏｂｙ的加工分离程序,对再从记忆测验中外显记忆成分与内隐记忆成分的贡献进行分离,考察了抑郁个体的内隐记忆和外显记忆是否具有心境一致性记忆倾向。结果表明：抑郁个体的外显记忆具有心境一致性倾向,而内隐记忆不存在心境一致性倾向,表明心境一致性记忆需要精细加工机制的参与。另外发现,抑郁个体存在外显记忆缺损而没有出现内隐记忆缺损。最后就一些有待进一步研究的方面进行了讨论。     

Implicit memory bias for eating- and body appearance-related sentences in eating disorders: an application of Jacoby's white noise task

Jacoby's white noise task and an explicit recognition task were used to investigate whether individuals with eating disorders demonstrate implicit memory bias and explicit memory bias, respectively, for information related to eating and body appearance. Included were 33 women with eating disorders (seven with anorexia nervosa and 26 with bulimia nervosa), 29 with nonclinical eating disorder-related concerns, and 36 healthy controls. Results showed partial support for implicit memory bias but no support for explicit memory bias. These findings suggest that eating disorders may be characterized by relative initial automatic bias for eating disorder-relevant information but not by bias at later stages of information processing. However, previous studies have demonstrated explicit memory bias in eating disorders, which is inconsistent with this interpretation. Future research is required to clarify the precise cognitive biases associated with eating disorders.     

认知疲劳效应对内隐记忆与外显记忆的影响

本研究通过比较内隐记忆与外显记忆受到认知疲劳影响的情况,以了解内隐记忆的自动化加工机制。实验采用被试内设计,使用词汇判断与词汇再认任务测量内隐记忆与外显记忆。实验结果发现,相对于控制组,疲劳组的被试在完成疲劳任务后内隐记忆成绩显著下降,而外显记忆没有受到影响。结果说明相对于外显记忆,内隐记忆更容易受到认知疲劳影响。内隐记忆虽然是无意识的认知加工,但是与其他自动化加工具有不同的特征。     

认知疲劳效应对内隐记忆与外显记忆的影响

本研究通过比较内隐记忆与外显记忆受到认知疲劳影响的情况,以了解内隐记忆的自动化加工机制。实验采用被试内设计,使用词汇判断与词汇再认任务测量内隐记忆与外显记忆。实验结果发现,相对于控制组,疲劳组的被试在完成疲劳任务后内隐记忆成绩显著下降,而外显记忆没有受到影响。结果说明相对于外显记忆,内隐记忆更容易受到认知疲劳影响。内隐记忆虽然是无意识的认知加工,但是与其他自动化加工具有不同的特征。     

内隐与外显记忆编码阶段脑机制的重叠与分离

记忆包括编码和提取两个重要阶段, 以往研究多关注内隐和外显记忆在提取阶段的脑机制分离, 那二者在编码阶段的脑机制是否不同？为探讨这个问题, 该实验采用两阶段的迫选再认方式, 把学习项目区分成三类：随后被选择且告知为见过的项目(记住), 随后被选择但告知为猜测的项目 (启动)以及随后未被选择的项目(忘记)。结果表明, 从200 ms开始的颞区负走向Dm效应为内隐记忆(启动vs忘记)所特有, 反映了对刺激的知觉加工过程, 400~500 ms前额区正走向的Dm效应为外显记忆(记住vs忘记)所特有, 反映了对刺激的精细加工过程, 而200~300 ms中央区及600 ms开始的顶区负走向的Dm效应为两种记忆类型所共有, 它们分别反映了对刺激的注意状态以及把编码后的刺激信息登记进相应记忆系统的过程。因此, 内隐记忆与外显记忆在编码阶段的脑机制既存在着分离, 也存在着重叠的现象。     

Sleep enhances explicit recollection in recognition memory

Recognition memory is considered to be supported by two different memory processes, i.e., the explicit recollection of information about a previous event and an implicit process of recognition based on an acontextual sense of familiarity. Both types of memory supposedly rely on distinct memory systems. Sleep is known to enhance the consolidation of memories, with the different sleep stages affecting different types of memory. In the present study, we used the process-dissociation procedure to compare the effects of sleep on estimates of explicit (recollection) and implicit (familiarity) memory formation on a word-list discrimination task. Subjects studied two lists of words before a 3-h retention interval of sleep or wakefulness, and recognition was tested afterward. The retention intervals were positioned either in the early night when sleep is dominated by slow-wave sleep (SWS), or in the late night, when sleep is dominated by REM sleep. Sleep enhanced explicit recognition memory, as compared with wakefulness (P < 0.05), whereas familiarity was not affected by sleep. Moreover, explicit recognition was particularly enhanced after sleep in the early-night retention interval, and especially when the words were presented with the same contextual features as during learning, i.e., in the same font (P < 0.05). The data indicate that in a task that allows separating the contribution of explicit and implicit memory, sleep particularly supports explicit memory formation. The mechanism of this effect appears to be linked to SWS.     

Understanding or feeling? Motor and sensory processes in recall of haptic experiences

Effects of learning can show in a direct, i.e., explicit way, or they can be expressed indirectly, i.e., in an implicit way. It is investigated whether hepatic information shows implicit effect, and whether implicit haptic memory effects are based primarily on motor or on sensory memory components. In the first phase blindfolded subjects had to palpate objects in order to answer questions about the objects' distinct properties as fast as possible. In the following phase this task was repeated with the same objects and additional control items. Additionally, recognition judgements were required. Results demonstrate reliable effects of implicit memory for haptic information in terms of reaction times to old vs. new objects. Subjects who had to wear plastic gloves in the first stage showed comparable effects of repetition priming. Changing the questions--and, thus, hand movements--during the palpitation of objects known from the first stage, however, abolishes implicit memory expression. It is concluded, therefore, that implicit memory for haptic information is based on motor processes. On the other hand, explicit memory is hampered in subjects wearing gloves during the first phase, as revealed in terms of recognition performance while changing the questions about objects' properties has no effect on recognition judgements. Thus, explicit memory for haptic information seems to be based on the sensory processes when touching objects.     

不同自尊者对自我相关信息的记忆偏好

研究主要采用4(自尊类型)×2(词汇效价)混合设计,探讨了178名不同自尊水平或不同自尊类型大学生对自我相关信息的记忆偏好。结果发现:(1)高外显自尊者比低自尊者有更积极的记忆偏好,消极记忆偏好差异不显著;高内隐自尊者则比低自尊者有更弱的积极回忆偏好及更弱的消极回忆偏好。(2)就作为组内差异存在的记忆偏好而言,所有被试均有积极偏好;就作为组间差异存在的记忆偏好而言,脆弱的高自尊者有更强的积极偏好,但低自尊者也没有表现出明显的消极偏好。结果提示不同自尊者对自我相关信息有不同记忆偏好。     

Explicit vs. implicit emotional processing: The interaction between processing type and executive control

The current study examined whether the interaction between emotion and executive control (EC) is modulated by the processing type of the emotional information. Namely, whether the emotional information is explicitly processed, implicitly processed or passively viewed. In each trial, a negative or neutral picture preceded an arrow-flanker stimulus that was congruent or incongruent. Incongruent stimuli are known to recruit EC. Explicit processing of the pictures (Experiment 1a), which required responding to their emotional content, resulted in emotional interference for congruent but not for incongruent stimuli. Similar effects were shown for the passive viewing condition (Experiment 2). In contrast, implicit processing (Experiment 1b), which required responding to non-emotional content, resulted in emotional interference for both congruent and incongruent stimuli. Thus, our findings indicate that implicit emotional processing affects performance independently of EC recruitment. In contrast, explicit emotional processing and passive viewing of emotional pictures lead to reduced emotional interference when EC is recruited.     

编码与提取干扰对内隐和外显记忆的非对称性影响

以往研究表明在外显记忆中,编码与提取加工存在着非对称性,但在内隐记忆中,二者的关系并不明确,因此实验采用“学习-再认”范式,考察在编码或提取中分别附加的干扰任务对词汇判断或再认产生的影响。结果证实编码与提取干扰对内隐或外显记忆都具有非对称性的影响,但又存在着差异,即编码干扰会导致随后外显记忆成绩显著减少,而提取干扰对其影响较小,相反,编码干扰对随后内隐测验中启动效应的影响较小,但提取干扰会破坏启动效应,从而为内隐记忆和外显记忆的分离提供了进一步的证据     

Attractive memory: High destination memory for attractive faces

Research has demonstrated that destination memory (i.e., the ability to remember to whom information was previously told) can be influenced by characteristics (e.g., emotional expressions and age) of the destination. Building on this literature, we investigated whether destination memory can be influenced by the attractiveness of the destination. We invited participants to give information on attractive faces, unattractive faces, or neither‐attractive‐nor‐unattractive faces. On a recognition test, they were invited to decide to whom each piece of information had been previously told. Results demonstrated higher destination memory (1) for attractive faces than for neither‐attractive‐nor‐unattractive faces, and (2) for unattractive faces than for neither‐attractive‐nor‐unattractive faces. We attribute the higher destination memory for attractive and unattractive destinations to their distinctiveness compared with neutrally attractive destinations. We also provide some attentional explanations for the high memory for attractive and unattractive destinations.     

The role of chronic physical exercise and selective attention at encoding on implicit and explicit memory

Despite the evidence revealing benefits of chronic cardiovascular exercise on executive functions, little research has been conducted on long-term memory. We aimed to investigate the effect of physical exercise on implicit and explicit memory when attention was modulated at encoding in two groups of active and sedentary participants. With this purpose, attention was manipulated in a similar way in the implicit and explicit memory tasks by presenting picture outlines of two familiar objects, one in blue and the other in green, and participants were asked to pay attention only to one of them. Implicit memory was assessed through conceptual priming and explicit memory through a free recall task followed by recognition. The results did not reveal significant differences between groups in conceptual priming or free recall. However, in recognition, while both groups had similar discrimination for attended stimuli, active participants showed lower discrimination between unattended and new stimuli. These results suggested that exercise may have effects on specific cognitive processes, that is, that active participants may suppress non-relevant information better than sedentary participants, making the discrimination between unattended and new items more difficult.     

Context-dependence of implicit and explicit memory characteristics

The present experiments explore whether repetition priming in a word-stem completion task is context-dependent. In the first experiment, the environmental context was changed or remained constant at the testing stage. Implicit memory performance did not reveal any effects of environmental context. When tested by free recall, however, the same subjects showed an environmental congruency effect. On the other hand, effects of a change in presentation modality were restricted to implicit memory measures. In the second experiment, self-awareness was manipulated to create congruent or incongruent internal contexts at the testing stage. Performance on the word-stem completion task was seen to be influenced by internal contextual information. This pattern of results corroborates a processing account of implicit memory phenomena. Implicit and explicit expressions of memory utilize episodic information, but in a different way.     

Dimension-based working memory-driven capture of visual selection

We studied attentional capture by dimensional cueing of visual objects. Participants received two dimension cues, one relevant for a memory test and the other relevant for an attention test. Performance in the attention task was impaired on incongruent trials (i.e., when the relevant dimensions for memory and attention did not match) relative to congruent trials. Dimensional cueing effects were enhanced when the cued dimension was held “online” in working memory through the trial, compared to when the cued dimension did not have to be held in memory. The findings demonstrate that dimensional cueing of visual selection can occur in a largely automatic manner, with working memory exerting a strong modulatory influence. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding the interaction between memory and attention.