Adaptive memory: Survival processing enhances retention

Nairne, J., Thompson, S., & Pandeirada, J. (2007). Adaptive memory: Survival processing enhances retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology:

Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2), 263-273. doi:10.1037/0278-7393.33.2.263.

Summary by: Kyra Paliobagis, Herlinda Sandoval, and Leyla Zerehi

Video

• Surviving on a deserted island

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=plpXEfAv-Z0

Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology:

Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2), 263-273.

Introduction

• The researchers investigated the idea that memory systems might have evolved to help us remember fitness-relevant information—specifically, information relevant to survival.

• Hypothesis: Participants will recall words that are survival related more than words that are non survival related.

Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory,

and Cognition, 33(2), 263-273.

Method

Participants- 150 college students

Materials - Four lists of 8 words that were related to one another.

Procedure - Participants were placed into one of three rating scenarios

and were given 36 unrelated words that they would rate for importance depending on the relevance to the scenario. The scenarios were survival, moving, and pleasantness. They were asked to recall in order what they had rated each word. Lastly, participants were surprised with a free recall test of the words they had rated. They had 10 minutes to recall the words in any order.

Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology:

Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2), 263-273.

Results• Participants were more likely to recall words that were

associated with survival.

Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2), 263-273.

Results

• Processing items in terms of their ultimate survival value enhances later retention.

• Processing for survival yields a retention advantage compared with moving and pleasantness conditions. – High vs. low survival relevance

Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory:

Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology:

Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2), 263-273.

Discussion

• Findings suggest that memory systems are “tuned” to remember information that is processed for fitness, perhaps as a result of survival advantages in our ancestral past.

• From a fitness perspective, not all stimuli are created equal

Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology:

Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2), 263-273.

Critical Review

Objections1.Effort is typically a

poor determinant of retention

2. Cite “yes vs. no retention”

3. Discuss evolution/adaptations as difficult to identify

Interesting Points1. Memory functioning is content dependent.2. Our memory systems may be biased to help us remember information in a survival context. 3. Many survival situations induce emotional arousal, thereby increasing the chances that fitness-relevant information will be remembered.

Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology:

Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2), 263-273.

Test Questions M/C1. The __ , __ groups were found to have no significant

difference in recall performance.a) survival; moving b) moving; pleasantness c) pleasant; survival d) none of the above

2. ____ processing has better retention in recall/recognition tasks a) Semantic b) Episodic

3. An example of fitness content is a) Mate selection b) Cheater detection c) Identify predators d) all of the above

True/False

4. Retention is sensitive to the content of information5. Memory systems in humans are evolved to remember

information that’s processed for pleasantness.6. Mnemonics are learning techniques that aid memory

Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and

Cognition, 33(2), 263-273.