The Interaction of Perception and Memory

Abstract

Whereas visual perception is the interpretation of the light that enters the retina of the eye, long-term memory is the encoding, storage, and retrieval of perceptual experiences and learned information. Although these are separable processes, they continuously interact and influence each other. For example, the underlying perceptual features of an image result in large consistency in whether people will remember or forget it, and the visual similarities that images share can influence how well they will be remembered. The exaggeration of visual features, such as enlarged eyes on a face, can lead to enhanced memory, and a buildup in perceptual experience can also improve memory. In addition to perception influencing memory, memory also influences perception. Familiarity with an object or object category can result in enhanced perceptual processing, or even lead to the stimuli “looking” different from how they otherwise would. Additionally, learning a new category of objects changes how we perceive its categorical members, and even members of different, related categories. Perception and memory are closely intertwined in the brain as well, with mechanisms that allow similar perceptual items to be distinguished in memory, but also support incomplete perceptual details to be filled in from memory. Additionally, there are divisions in the brain dedicated to the perceptual and mnemonic processing of different object categories, such as faces and scenes. In other words, there are widespread examples in which memory and perception influence each other, with neural mechanisms and areas set in place to deal with these complex interactions.