The Influence Of Semantic Categories And Levels Of Processing On Memory Updating

Memory updating refered to modify our current memory representations toadjust new information entered(Morris&Jones,1990). It was discovered byBjork(1978). The pernicious tendency for irrelevant memories to compete withrelevant memories was evident when we failed to update our memory. Manyresearches for memory updating had supported this phenomenon. One recent fMRIstudy had illuminated that older and newer visual memories were oftensimultaneously reactivated—even when target memories were successfullyretrieved. Importantly, stronger reactivation of older memories was associated withless accurate retrieval of newer memories. The activity of the newer memory wasstronger than the older memory while memory updating successfully. The factorsthat affected memory updating were disputed. The role of older memories wasunclear. Whether the updating of memories could overcome the competition wasstill in exploring.Using a paired-associate learning task in which associations between wordsand images changed during the experiment, requiring undergraduate subjects toupdate their memories accordingly. The present study was composed of threeexperiments. Experiment one was a single factor within-subject design. It examinedwhether the visual memory updating was independent of stimulus category underthe condition of the between-categories change. Experiment two was also a singlefactor within-subject design. It had six levels. Two levels were not analyzed causethe older and newer memory were at the same category. It explored whether thevisual memory updating was independent of stimulus type under the condition ofthe between-types change, combining the type repeat to explore whether the naturalscenes and the social scenes had significant difference on memory. The finalexperiment was a6×3mixed design. Two levels were not analyzed just like theexperiment two. It studied effect of the category under the different levels ofprocessing in memory updating.In conclusion, the findings of current study were as followings. Firstly, facewas not special in the updating. The memory updating was independent of thestimulus category. Secondly, the updating of the natural scene and the social scene, there was no special updating process that leaded the special memory for pictures ofsocial scene. The memory updating was independent of the stimulus type. Finally,no matter the older memories was well-remembered or bad-remembered, they hadthe same effect for the newer memories. Reinforcing the newer memories allowcompetition to be overcome and memories to be updated. This study is the influenceof memory updating about faces, nature scenes and social scenes, through differentlevels of processing, to complement the findings and provide a basis forovercoming updating failure.