Expectation of irrelevant novel stimuli has no consistent effect on recognition memory

Bibliographic Data

ID21392225
AuthorsRichárd Reichardt (0000-0002-8522-9191, Department of Cognitive Science Budapest University of Technology and Economics Budapest Hungary, corresponding author), Péter Simor (0000-0003-0695-166X, Institute of Psychology Eötvös Loránd University Budapest Hungary), Bertalan Polner (0000-0003-1789-9051, Department of Cognitive Science Budapest University of Technology and Economics Budapest Hungary)
Year2022
Volume63
Issue4
Pages308-320
Publication date2022-08-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueScandinavian Journal of Psychology (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0036-5564 • E-ISSN: 1467-9450
PublisherWiley (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1111/sjop.12807
PMID35390179
OpenAlexW4225647676
LanguageEN
References cited46

Novelty is defined as the part of an experience that is not yet represented by memory systems. Novelty has been claimed to exert various memory‐enhancing effects. A pioneering study by Wittmann et al . (2007) has shown that memory formation may even benefit from the expectation of novelty. We aimed to replicate this assumed memory effect in four behavioral studies. However, our results do not support the idea that anticipated novel stimuli are more memorable than unexpected novelty. In our experiments, we systematically manipulated the novelty predicting cues to ensure that the expectations were correctly formed by the participants, however, the results showed that there was no memory enhancement for expected novel pictures in any of the examined indices, thus we could not replicate the main behavioral finding of Wittmann et al . (2007). These results call into question the original effect, and we argue that this fits more into current thinking on memory formation and brain function in general. Our results are more consistent with the view that unexpected stimuli are more likely to be retained by memory systems. Predictive coding theory suggests that unexpected stimuli are prioritized by the nervous system and this may also benefit memory processes. Novel stimuli may be unexpected and thus recognized better in some experimental setups, yet novelty and unexpectedness do not always coincide. We hope that our work can bring more consistency in the literature on novelty, as educational methods in general could also benefit from this clarification

Coding (social sciences) · Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Consistency (knowledge bases) · Novelty · Predictive coding · Recognition memory · Replicate · Artificial Intelligence · Computer Science · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Memory Processes and Influences · Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology

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