Individual differences in visual imagery determine how event information is remembered

DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2016.1178777

Tags:

Sheldon, S., Amaral, R., & Levine, B. (2017). Individual differences in visual imagery determine how event information is remembered. Memory, 25(3), 360–369. doi:10.1080/09658211.2016.1178777

Abstract

Individuals differ in how they mentally imagine past events. When reminiscing about a past experience, some individuals remember the event accompanied by rich visual images, while others will remember it with few of these images. In spite of the implications that these differences in the use of imagery have to the understanding of human memory, few studies have taken them into consideration. We examined how imagery interference affecting event memory retrieval was differently modulated by spatial and object imagery ability. We presented participants with a series of video-clips depicting complex events. Participants subsequently answered true/false questions related to event, spatial, or feature details contained in the videos, while simultaneously viewing stimuli that interfered with visual imagery processes (dynamic visual noise; DVN) or a control grey screen. The impact of DVN on memory accuracy was related to individual differences in spatial imagery ability. Individuals high in spatial imagery were less accurate at recalling details from the videos when simultaneously viewing the DVN stimuli compared to those low in spatial imagery ability. This finding held for questions related to the event and spatial details but not feature details. This study advocates for the inclusion of individual differences when studying memory processes.

Authors

Signy Sheldon2
Robert Amaral1
Brian Levine6

What This Study Is About

Researchers wanted to know how different types of mental imagery—the ability to picture things in your mind—affect how we remember events. Specifically, they looked at whether people who are good at "spatial imagery" (imagining where things are located) remember things differently than those good at "object imagery" (imagining colors and textures).

How They Studied It

The researchers tested a group of participants by first measuring their natural imagery abilities using a questionnaire. Participants then watched several video clips of everyday events. Later, they were asked true-or-false questions about what they saw. To see how much they relied on mental pictures, the researchers showed some participants "dynamic visual noise" (a screen of flickering black and white dots) while they tried to remember. This noise is known to interfere with the brain's ability to create mental images.

What They Found

The study found that people with high spatial imagery were much more affected by the flickering noise. When the noise was present, their memory accuracy for the events dropped significantly. In contrast, people with low spatial imagery (similar to those with aphantasia, the inability to visualize) were not bothered by the noise at all; they remembered the details just as well with or without the distraction. This suggests that people who can't or don't visualize use different, non-visual strategies to store and retrieve memories.

What This Might Mean

This suggests that there isn't just one way for the brain to remember the past. People who naturally visualize seem to "re-watch" the event in their mind to find answers, while those with low imagery may rely on facts or verbal descriptions. While this study shows that visualizers can be easily distracted by visual noise, it also suggests that aphantasic individuals might have a more robust way of remembering that doesn't depend on a "mental screen."

One Interesting Detail

The flickering noise only disrupted memory for where things happened and the order of events, but it didn't affect memory for specific details like the color of a shirt. This suggests that our brains use different "filing systems" for spatial layouts versus object descriptions.

Individual differences in visual imagery determine how event information is remembered

Abstract

Authors

Individual differences in visual imagery determine how event information is remembered

Abstract

Authors

Individual differences in visual imagery determine how event information is remembered

Abstract

Authors

Individual differences in visual imagery determine how event information is remembered

Abstract

Authors

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

What This Study Is About

How They Studied It

What They Found

What This Might Mean

One Interesting Detail

Joel Pearson

Merlin Monzel

Adam Zeman

Rebecca Keogh

Martin Reuter

Juha Silvanto

Paolo Bartolomeo

Carla Dance

Jianghao Liu

Fraser Milton