Forgetting of Contextually Related Episodic Memories Induced by Retrieval and Recognition
by Stéphanie Jeanneret
Faculty Thesis Advisor: Jarrod Lewis-Peacock, Graduate Student Mentor: Remy Mallett
Memory of episodic events is encoded with memory of the context in which the event occurred, and this contextual information influences episodic memory retrieval. Memory models have illustrated the importance of constantly updating and changing internal contextual representations, and how these representations enhance memory reactivation of related items. Consequently, the strong reactivation of event memories with their respective contexts may cause contextually related episodic memories to impair the retrieval of desired memories, leading to forgetting of the “competing” memories. Competing memories activating to a moderate degree (vs. high or low activation) in the brain are more likely to be forgotten. However, the factors governing whether and how memories will activate and compete during retrieval remain misunderstood. This study has tested the hypothesis that events experienced closer in time will be more likely to compete and later get weakened in the process during memory retrieval. In doing so, the contributions of temporal context to memory reactivation and different processes of forgetting may be elucidated. Furthermore, this study may reveal important implications for the competitive dynamics that may occur during episodic memory retrieval as well as the significance of forgetting in our everyday experiences.