Short-Term Consolidation of Information for Episodic Memory: The Role of Attention

Year 2021, Volume: 38 Issue: 2, 287 - 307, 15.12.2021

Erol Özçelik , Hasan Tekman

https://doi.org/10.32600/huefd.712414

Abstract

Pieces of evidence from rapid serial visual presentation, attentional blink, and dual-task interference phenomena propose that human beings have a significant limitation on the short-term consolidation process. Short-term consolidation is transferring perceptual representations to a more durable form of memory. Although previous research has shown that masks presented after targets interrupt the consolidation process of information, there is not enough evidence for the role of attention in consolidation for episodic memory. Three experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of attention and stimulus onset asynchrony (SOA) between targets and masks on episodic memory. Masks were presented after targets with varying SOAs. The participants in the divided attention condition performed the attention-demanding secondary task after the presentation of the masks, whereas participants in the full attention condition were not requested to perform the secondary task after the presentation of masks. The results showed that reducing SOA between targets and masks caused an impairment in memory performance for divided attention but not for full attention, providing evidence for the necessity of attention for the short-term consolidation process.

Keywords

short-term consolidation, episodic memory, dual-task, mask

Anısal Bellekte Bilgilerin Kısa-Süreli Konsolidasyonu: Dikkatin Rolü

Abstract

Hızlı seri görsel sunum, dikkat kırpması, ve ikili görev bozulmaları olgularından elde edilen kanıtlar insanoğlunun kısa-süreli konsolidasyon sürecinde anlamlı bir sınırlılığı olduğunu öne sürmektedir. Kısa-süreli konsolidasyon, görsel temsillerin daha kalıcı bellek biçimlerine transfer edilmesidir. Yapılmış çalışmalar hedef uyaranlardan sonra gösterilen maskelerin bilgilerin konsolidasyonunu yarıda kestiğini göstermesine rağmen, bilgilerin anısal bellek için konsolidasyonunda dikkatin rolü hakkında yeterli kanıt yoktur. Dikkatin ve hedef uyaran ile maske arasındaki uyaran başlangıcı senkronizasyonsuzluğunun (UBS) anısal belleğe etkisini incelemek için üç deney yapılmıştır. Maskeler hedef uyaranlardan sonra değişen UBS'lerde sunulmuştur. Bölünmüş dikkat koşulundaki katılımcılar maskelerin sunumundan sonra dikkat gerektiren ikincil bir iş yaparken tam dikkat koşulundaki katılımcılara böyle bir görev verilmemiştir. Sonuçlar göstermiştir ki; hedef uyaranlar ile maskeler arasındaki UBS'yi düşürmek bölünmüş dikkatte bellek performansını düşürürken tam dikkatte performansı etkilememiştir. Bu bulgular kısa-süreli konsolidasyon sürecinde dikkatin gerekliliğini desteklemektedir.

Keywords

kısa-süreli konsalidasyon, anısal bellek, ikili görev, maske

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