Enhancing Memory Retention Through Emotional Arousal During Retrieval Practice

Retrieval practice effect,also termed as testing effect,refers to which has a retrieval practice between the initial study and final test costing an equal time,the former can promote long-term memory better.The fact is that retrieval practice effect has been repeated and gotten a large number of results,while the related theoretical research is relatively less and exists controversial interpretation.Currently,explanations of why retrieval benefits later retention have typically focused on the processing involved in the retrieval attempt itself.The most accepted is elaborative retrieval hypothesis,which proposed that retrieval process during testing may activate elaborative information related to the target response and build a rich semantic network,thereby increasing the number of retrieval routes used to access to memories,which leads to retrieval practice effect.Recently,Kornell,Klein and Rawson(2015)outlined a two-stage framework to explain why retrieval enhancing learning based on elaborative retrieval hypothesis,which makes a distinction between the retrieval attempt and the processing that occurs after an answer becomes available.They believe that retrieval can be divided into two stages.Stage 1 takes place as one attempts to retrieve an answer,which activates knowledge related to the retrieval cue.Stage 2 begins when the answer becomes available,at which point appropriate connections are strengthened and inappropriate connections may be weakened.If the testing effect only comes from the processes involved in achieving retrieval,then any events that follow successfully retrieval presumably should not exert any influence on later retention.Therefore,it is necessary to explore the processing that occurs after retrieval for deeply revealing the internal mechanism of retrieval practice effect.The study uses the standard retrieval practice effect paradigm,and introduces emotional events after retrieval.We examine whether the benefits of retrieval could be modulated by an emotional event occurring after retrieved.In all experiments,the participants studied irrelevant Chinese vocabulary pairs,took an intervening cued-recall test or restudy,each retrieval was followed by a blank screen,a neutral picture,or a emotional picture inducing negative or positive affect,and were given a final cued-recall test or recognition on all items finally.In Experiment 1,we used a picture types(blank screen,neutral picture,or negative emotional picture)single factor experimental design.We tested whether a negative emotional picture presented immediately after a successful retrieval,later test performancewas enhanced as compared to when a neutral picture or a blank screen had been shown.The results indicate that presented pictures immediately after a successful retrieval had no benefits for preceding item memory.For Experiment 2 we used a 2(learning strategies:retrieval practice,restudy)×3(picture types: high arousal negative emotional picture,neutral picture,or blank screen)mixed-measure design.To study whether enhancement from negative pictures would occur in the case of high arousal negative emotional following a successful retrieval.These results indicate that presentation a high arousal negative emotional after successful retrieval produced the enhancing effect,but not when a high arousal negative emotional presented after restudy of vocabulary pair.Postretrieval reconsolidation via emotional processing may enhance the usual positive effects of retrieval and active retrieval is necessary.In Experiment 3,we uesd a 2(learning strategies: retrieval practice,restudy)×3(picture types: negative emotional picture,positive emotional picture,or blank screen)mixed-measure design.To test whether pictures arousing positive emotion have the same effect as negative pictures.The outcomes show that positive emotion has no enhancing effect.And retrieval practice activates more semantic information(words or concepts)related to the recalled targets than re-studying does.In Experiment 4,we used a3(picture types: negative emotional picture,positive emotional picture,or blank screen)×2(word types: target,cue)×2(testd task: cued-recall,recognition)mixed-measure design.To test whether reconsolidation processing during postretrieval strengthened associations between cues and targets or the targets which had been retrieved.The results indicate that reconsolidation processing strengthened associations between cues and targets.These results indicate that benefits of retrieval practice effect not only come from retrieval attempt but also reconsolidation processing of pastretrieval,and support the two-stage framework.And the associations between cue and target word are strengthened.This means that the memories of retrieved are dynamic and plastic.