Abstract
In this study, we examined electrophysiological indices of episodic remembering whilst participants recalled novel shapes, with and without semantic content, within a visual working memory paradigm. The components of interest were the parietal episodic (PE; 400–800 ms) and late posterior negativity (LPN; 500–900 ms), as these have previously been identified as reliable markers of recollection and post-retrieval monitoring, respectively. Fifteen young adults completed a visual matrix patterns task, assessing memory for low and high semantic visual representations. Matrices with either low semantic or high semantic content (containing familiar visual forms) were briefly presented to participants for study (1500 ms), followed by a retention interval (6000 ms) and finally a same/different recognition phase. The event-related potentials of interest were tracked from the onset of the recognition test stimuli. Analyses revealed equivalent amplitude for the earlier PE effect for the processing of both low and high semantic stimulus types. However, the LPN was more negative-going for the processing of the low semantic stimuli. These data are discussed in terms of relatively ‘pure’ and complete retrieval of high semantic items, where support can readily be recruited from semantic memory. However, for the low semantic items additional executive resources, as indexed by the LPN, are recruited when memory monitoring and uncertainty exist in order to recall previously studied items more effectively.
Highlights
In the episodic memory domain, there is strong evidence for a range of ERP components related to familiarity (Curran, 2000; Smith et al, 2009), recollection (Wilding, 2000; Smith et al, 2009; Brown and Riby, 2013) and post-retrieval monitoring (Johansson and Mecklinger, 2003; Riby et al, 2008) during the retrieval of past events
Due to the nature of the stimuli and the paradigm, a 2 (Stimulus: Low versus High Semantic) × 3 (Region: left, central, right) ANOVA was conducted on area under the curve (AUC) data for the early parietal positivity (P3, Pz, P4; 500–900 ms)
The findings demonstrated the differential engagement of memory retrieval processes depending on the semantic content of the stimuli
Summary
In the episodic memory domain, there is strong evidence for a range of ERP components related to familiarity (Curran, 2000; Smith et al, 2009), recollection (Wilding, 2000; Smith et al, 2009; Brown and Riby, 2013) and post-retrieval monitoring (Johansson and Mecklinger, 2003; Riby et al, 2008) during the retrieval of past events. ERP Correlates of Visual Working Memory memory (e.g., Baddeley, 2000, 2012; Logie, 2011), researchers are increasingly addressing the mechanisms by which long-term memory may support working memory. Where visual semantic information is more readily available within the stimuli, episodic retrieval (the conscious recollection of a previous specific events and contextual information; Rugg and Vilberg, 2013) may be more freely or automatically engaged
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