Short-term memory impairment in vestibular patients can arise independently of psychiatric impairment,fatigue, and sleeplessness

Vestibular dysfunction is associated with visual short-term memory impairment; however, it remains unclear if this impairment arises as a direct result of the vestibular dysfunction or is a consequence of comorbid changes in mood, affect, fatigue, and/or sleep. To this end, we assessed the concurrence and interdependence of these comorbidities in 101 individuals recruited from a tertiary balance clinic with a neuro-otological diagnosis. Over fifty per cent of the sample showed reduced visuospatial short-term memory, 60% and 37% exceeded cut-off on the Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories, respectively, 70% exceeded cut-off on the Fatigue Severity Scale, 44% reported daytime sleepiness on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and 78% scored above cut-off on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. The high concurrence of these symptoms gives reason to infer the existence of a vestibular cognitive affective syndrome. Structural equation modelling indicated that the significant statistical association between general unassisted posture (a marker of chronic vestibular dysfunction and strong predictor of falls risk) and short-term memory was not mediated by mood and wakefulness. Instead, the memory impairment related more directly to vestibular dysfunction. From a rehabilitation perspective, the implication is that if the vestibular disorder is treated successfully then the memory problem will likewise improve.     

目标探测对记忆提取的影响

采用经典的"学习–再认"范式,在测验阶段设置了目标探测的干扰任务,通过比较目标探测和分心拒绝是否会对记忆提取产生不同的影响,以进一步探讨提取干扰与再认记忆之间的关系。结果发现,无论对目标进行显性(实验1)还是隐性(实验2)的探测反应,目标探测下旧词的再认反应均要比分心拒绝下更优,表明外显记忆的提取也会受到注意资源的调节。但更为重要的是,在辨别力指数(d′)及判断标准(C)上的差异分析发现,目标探测并没有提高被试的再认水平,而是降低了被试的判断标准,使得被试在目标探测条件下更容易对词做出"旧"反应。这种反应倾向与目标探测的动作反应方式无关,也不受词汇的编码加工水平深浅的调节。由此可见,外显记忆提取并非完全的"自动化加工",仍会受到注意资源的调节。     

视觉工作记忆回溯线索效应的产生机制：认知阶段分离

以往研究关于视觉工作记忆回溯线索效应的产生机制主要存在5种假设,目前依然存在争议。本研究通过改进前人研究实验范式,采用包含内源性回溯线索的颜色回忆报告范式,进一步对这5种假设进行检验。在实验1中,我们调控了线索与探测阵列之间的时间间隔,发现不同时间间隔不影响无线索条件的行为表现,而在正常线索条件中被试的记忆精度以及能记住的项目数量均优于无线索条件;在实验2中,我们对回溯线索伴随的干扰刺激类型进行控制,结果显示,在不同条件下记忆精度不存在差别,但当回溯线索伴随干扰刺激呈现时,被试能记住的项目数量会被降低,降低程度受干扰刺激的类型调制;在实验3中,我们对伴随回溯线索的干扰刺激的呈现时间进行控制,发现虽然回溯线索效应仍然存在,但干扰刺激的呈现时间不会影响效应程度。研究结果表明,回溯线索的出现使得被试能够在决策加工前完成内部注意资源的再分配,从而避免了同时进行这两种认知加工与记忆表征维持本身竞争认知资源。本研究为认知阶段分离假设提供了支持证据,对解决回溯线索效应产生机制的争议以及理解内部注意与视觉工作记忆的关系有重要意义。     

Can People Recollect Well and Change Their Source Memory Bias of “Aha!” Experiences?

Although many scientific discoveries were frequently reported as kinds of insightful breakthrough that suddenly illuminated in one's mind, we can never exactly know whether these afterward reports were reliable or not. In this study, subjects were asked to solve a list of Remote Associate Test problems and got both subsets of the insightfully and routinely solved items. Then, this study examined whether people can recollect their “Aha!” experiences as well as “non‐Aha” ones. It was found that subjects were more accurate in recollecting their Aha! experiences relative to the routine ones. The study further examined if the report bias of Aha! or non‐Aha problem solving experiences could be changed by the afterward‐suggestive information that indicated the discovery is unique (rare) or not. It was found that the tendency for participants to falsely recollect their routine problem solving experience as Aha! ones if they were told the item they had solved was very rare, and the tendency to falsely recollect the Aha! problem solving experiences as routine ones if the item were said to be common.     

Discrepancy between subjective autobiographical reliving and objective recall: The past as seen by Alzheimer’s disease patients

This paper investigated whether Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients may demonstrate a discrepancy between subjective autobiographical reliving and objective recall. To this end, 31 AD patients and 35 controls were asked to retrieve three autobiographical memories. For each memory, participants were asked to rate its subjective characteristics (e.g., reliving, travel in time, visual imagery…). Besides this subjective assessment, we analyzed recall objectively with regard to specificity. Results showed poorer subjective autobiographical reliving and objective recall in AD patients than in controls. A discrepancy (i.e., higher level of subjective reliving than of objective recall) was observed in AD but not in control participants. Despite a compromise in their objective recall, AD patients seemed to attribute a high value to their subjective autobiographical experience. This discrepancy can be attributed to a potential genuine consciousness experience in which mild AD patients can, to some extent, experience some subjective features of the past.     

Consciousness and working memory: Current trends and research perspectives

Working memory has long been thought to be closely related to consciousness. However, recent empirical studies show that unconscious content may be maintained within working memory and that complex cognitive computations may be performed on-line. This promotes research on the exact relationships between consciousness and working memory. Current evidence for working memory being a conscious as well as an unconscious process is reviewed. Consciousness is shown to be considered a subset of working memory by major current theories of working memory. Evidence for unconscious elements in working memory is shown to come from visual masking and attentional blink paradigms, and from the studies of implicit working memory. It is concluded that more research is needed to explicate the relationship between consciousness and working memory. Future research directions regarding the relationship between consciousness and working memory are discussed.     

记忆的知觉干扰效应研究概述

知觉干扰效应是指在识记阶段快速呈现一个单词,紧接着给予一个倒行掩蔽的刺激,在随后的记忆测验中被试表现出对单词的记忆增强的一种现象。知觉干扰效应的影响因素分为测验方式、实验设计方式、实验材料的属性和其他影响因素四个方面。理论解释主要有六种：精细加工假说、时空背景假说、任务要求假说、补偿加工假说、选择性复述假说以及项目特异关联假说。最后,文章从研究领域和实验材料的拓展以及主观因素的影响展望了该研究领域     

国外关于测试效应的研究概述

测试效应的研究表明,“学习”并非只发生在编码阶段,测试或提取练习除了可评估知识掌握程度之外,在某些情况下它比再次学习能更好地促进长时记忆保持。文章从如下方面概述了国外关于测试效应的研究：（1）在自由回忆、配对联想学习、再认和模拟教育情境等不同性质的实验任务下测试对学习的积极作用;（2）测试可能导致的消极作用,介绍有关提取导致遗忘,测试的消极暗示效应,测试与错误记忆等方面的研究;（3）介绍信息额外呈现理论,过度学习理论,提取努力理论,必要难度理论,迁移适当加工理论等测试效应的有关理论及其发展沿革。最后,结合研究中的争议及教学应用做了思考,并指出有待进一步研究的问题     

不同加工与记忆编码关系的ERP研究

通过事件相关电位(ERPs)记录,探讨了深、浅2种加工与记忆编码的相互关系。研究结果表明,（1）在深、浅两种加工条件下,首次使用汉字材料,获得了ERP相继记忆效应（Dm),随后再认正确的ERPs比随后再认不正确的ERPs有更大的晚正成分。（2）深加工的Dm效应始于N2波的前支（230－280ms)和N2波之后（395－800ms);而浅加工的Dm效应发生在345－490ms之间。深、浅加工的Dm效 涉及不同的脑区,这一结果支持深、浅两种加工的Dm效应可能是分离的结论。     

客体工作记忆对注意的导向作用：抑制动机的影响

通过两个实验验证了客体工作记忆内容对注意的导向过程是灵活可控的; 与客体工作记忆内容匹配的刺激既可以捕获注意, 也可以被抑制。实验1通过操作匹配试验概率来诱发不同水平的抑制动机, 考察在客体工作记忆内容对注意的导向作用中抑制动机的影响。匹配试验中有分心物与客体工作记忆内容相同。控制试验中所有搜索项目均与客体工作记忆内容不同。实验2保持实际匹配试验概率恒定, 仅通过改变指导语来调节抑制动机水平, 以排除练习的干扰。两实验结果均表明, 当抑制动机水平较低时, 匹配分心物会捕获注意; 而当抑制动机水平足够高时, 匹配分心物会被抑制。并且, 抑制动机水平的高低还会影响认知控制的效应量和时程。