The limited reach of surprise

Evidence against effects of surprise on memory for preceding elements of an event

Datos Bibliográficos

ID21640902
AutoresAya Ben-Yakov (0000-0002-4449-7261, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit, autor de correspondencia), Verity Smith (0009-0006-7864-8677, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit), Ramon Henson (0000-0002-0712-2639, MRC Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit), Richard Henson
Año2022
Volumen29
Número3
Páginas1053-1064
Fecha de publicación2022-06-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaPsychonomic Bulletin & Review (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 1069-9384 • E-ISSN: 1531-5320
EditorialSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.3758/s13423-021-01954-5
PMID34173187
OpenAlexW3176885285
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas3
Referencias citadas71

When reflecting on the past, some of our strongest memories are for experiences that took us by surprise. Extensive research has backed this intuition that we are more likely to remember surprising moments than mundane ones. But what about the moments leading up to the surprise? Are we more likely to remember those as well? While surprise is a well-established modulator of memory, it is unknown whether memory for the entire event will be enhanced, or only for the surprising occurrence itself. We developed a novel paradigm utilising stop-motion films, depicting of a sequence of narrative events, in which specific occurrences could be replaced with surprising ones, while keeping the rest of the film unaltered. Using this design, we tested whether surprise exerts retroactive effects on memory, and specifically whether any potential effect would be confined to elements in the same event as the surprising occurrence. In a large cohort of participants ( n = 340), we found strong evidence that surprise did not retroactively modulate memory, neither when participants were tested immediately after study nor when they were tested 24 hours later. We suggest two possible accounts for these findings: (1) that the components of an event are encoded as independent episodic elements (not as a cohesive unit), or (2) that surprise segments experience, sectioning off the preceding elements as a separate event

Cognition · Cognitive psychology · Cognitive science · Episodic memory · Intuition · Narrative · Surprise · Face Recognition and Perception · Memory and Neural Mechanisms · Memory Processes and Influences · Neuroscience · Psychology · Social Psychology