Adaptive memory: survival processing enhances retention |
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Authors: | Nairne James S Thompson Sarah R Pandeirada Josefa N S |
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Affiliation: | Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA. nairne@psych.purdue.edu |
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Abstract: | The authors investigated the idea that memory systems might have evolved to help us remember fitness-relevant information--specifically, information relevant to survival. In 4 incidental learning experiments, people were asked to rate common nouns for their survival relevance (e.g., in securing food, water, or protection from predators); in control conditions, the same words were rated for pleasantness, relevance to moving to a foreign land, or personal relevance. In surprise retention tests, participants consistently showed the best memory when words were rated for survival; the survival advantage held across recall, recognition, and for both within-subject and between-subjects designs. These findings suggest that memory systems are "tuned" to remember information that is processed for fitness, perhaps as a result of survival advantages accrued in the past. |
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