Individual Differences In Memory Research Articles

Do complement clauses with first- or third-person perspective support false-belief reasoning? A training study with English-speaking 3-year-olds.

To investigate whether acquisition of the perspective-marking grammar of complement-clause constructions supports progression in children's false-belief reasoning, we conducted a training study with 76 English-speaking 3-year-olds from the North-West of England (age range: 3;0-3;10 years, 50% female, 80% White). Children were randomly assigned to one of three maximally comparable training conditions, and in a 4-week eight-session program, all children participated in the same training activities with mental-state contrasts. Depending on condition, activities were mediated linguistically with either simple clauses, first-person complements, or third-person complements. The study addressed critical confounds in previous training studies by avoiding the use of complement clauses in false-belief tests and controlling individual differences in memory, executive functioning, general language, and pretest proficiency with complement clauses. The results yielded strong support for the hypothesis of a causal influence of complement-clause exposure on false-belief progression, as children trained with first-person complements advanced significantly more in false-belief reasoning from pretest to posttest than children trained with simple clauses. Examining the roles of first- and third-person complements, a direct comparison between progression in the two complement-clause conditions showed no significant difference, but only children trained with first-person complements progressed significantly more than children in the control condition trained with simple clauses. Follow-up analyses suggested that first- and third-person complements each support false-belief progression at different stages of development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

The roles of interviewing conditions and individual differences in memory and suggestibility: An online interview study

AbstractIn existing studies of investigative interviewing, the effects of interviewing contexts have often been measured with little consideration of the reciprocal interviewee's stable characteristics. To clarify the factors and conditions under which adults are likely to retain accurate information and be resistant (or vulnerable) to suggestions during interviews, this study systematically explored the relative contributions of interviewing conditions (i.e., interviewer behaviour and exposure to post‐event misinformation) and individual differences (i.e., HEXACO personality traits, perceived parenting styles, social trait and state anxiety). A total of 159 Malaysian adults (M = 24.70; SD = 5.48) were assessed virtually using the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale 1. Hierarchical regression analyses revealed that higher recall accuracy was linked with supportive interviewer behaviour and non‐exposure to misinformation. Notably, individual's personality traits and developmental environment emerged as significant predictors of recall and suggestibility. The implications of remote interviewing in investigations are also discussed.

Intrinsic functional connectivity among memory networks does not predict individual differences in narrative recall

Abstract Individuals differ greatly in their ability to remember the details of past events, yet little is known about the brain processes that explain such individual differences in a healthy young population. Previous research suggests that episodic memory relies on functional communication among ventral regions of the default mode network (“DMN-C”) that are strongly interconnected with the medial temporal lobes. In this study, we investigated whether the intrinsic functional connectivity of the DMN-C subnetwork is related to individual differences in memory ability, examining this relationship across 243 individuals (ages 18-50 years) from the openly available Cambridge Center for Aging and Neuroscience (Cam-CAN) dataset. We first estimated each participant’s whole-brain intrinsic functional brain connectivity by combining data from resting-state, movie-watching, and sensorimotor task scans to increase statistical power. We then examined whether intrinsic functional connectivity predicted performance on a narrative recall task. We found no evidence that functional connectivity of the DMN-C, with itself, with other related DMN subnetworks, or with the rest of the brain, was related to narrative recall. Exploratory connectome-based predictive modeling (CBPM) analyses of the entire connectome revealed a whole-brain multivariate pattern that predicted performance, although these changes were largely outside of known memory networks. These results add to emerging evidence suggesting that individual differences in memory cannot be easily explained by brain differences in areas typically associated with episodic memory function.

Multi‐modal biomarkers improve prediction of memory function in cognitively unimpaired older adults

AbstractBackgroundIdentifying biomarkers that predict current and future cognition may improve estimates of Alzheimer’s disease risk among cognitively unimpaired older adults (CU). In vivo measures of amyloid and tau protein burden and task‐based functional MRI measures of core memory mechanisms, such as the strength of cortical reinstatement during remembering, have each been linked to individual differences in memory in CU. This study assesses whether combining CSF biomarkers with fMRI indices of cortical reinstatement improves estimation of memory function in CU, assayed using three unique tests of hippocampal‐dependent memory.MethodParticipants were 157 CU (90F, aged 60‐88 years, CDR=0) enrolled in the Stanford Aging and Memory Study (SAMS). Cortical reinstatement was quantified using multivoxel pattern analysis of fMRI data collected during completion of a paired associate cued recall task. Memory was assayed by associative cued recall, a delayed recall composite, and a mnemonic discrimination task that involved discrimination between studied ‘target’ objects, novel ‘foil’ objects, and perceptually similar ‘lure’ objects. CSF Aβ42, Aβ40, and p‐tau181 were measured with the automated Lumipulse G system (N=115). Regression analyses examined cross‐sectional relationships between memory performance in each task and a) the strength of cortical reinstatement in the Default Network (comprised of posterior medial, medial frontal, and lateral parietal regions) during associative cued recall and b) CSF Aβ42/Aβ40 and p‐tau181, controlling for age, sex, and education. For mnemonic discrimination, linear mixed effects models were used to examine the relationship between discrimination (d’) and each predictor as a function of target‐lure similarity.ResultStronger cortical reinstatement was associated with better performance across all three memory assays. Age and higher CSF p‐tau181 were each associated with poorer associative memory and a diminished improvement in mnemonic discrimination as target‐lure similarity decreased. When combined in a single model, CSF p‐tau181 and Default Network reinstatement strength, but not age, explained unique variance in associative memory and mnemonic discrimination performance, outperforming the single‐modality models.ConclusionCombining fMRI measures of core memory functions with protein biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease significantly improved prediction of individual differences in memory performance in CU. Leveraging multimodal biomarkers may enhance future prediction of risk for cognitive decline.

Individual differences in memory and attention processes in prospective remembering.

Successful prospective memory (PM) involves not only detecting that an environmental cue requires action (i.e., prospective component), but also retrieval of what is supposed to be done at the appropriate moment (i.e., retrospective component). The current study examined the role of attention and memory during PM tasks that placed distinct demands on detection and retrieval processes. Using a large-scale individual differences design, participants completed three PM tasks that placed high demands on detection (but low demands on retrieval) and three tasks that placed high demands on retrieval (but low demands on detection). Additionally, participants completed three attention control, retrospective memory, and working memory tasks. Latent variable structural equation modeling showed that the prospective and retrospective components of PM were jointly influenced by multiple cognitive abilities. Critically, attention and retrospective memory fully mediated the relation between working memory and prospective memory. Furthermore, only attention uniquely predicted PM detection, whereas only retrospective memory uniquely predicted PM retrieval. These findings highlight the value of independently assessing different PM components and suggest that both attention and memory abilities must be considered to fully understand the dynamic processes underlying prospective remembering.

Individual differences in memory predict changes in breakdown and repair fluency but not speed fluency: A short-term fluency training intervention study

AbstractThe purpose of this intervention study is to reveal the extent to which memory-related aptitudes are implicated in the second language (L2) fluency development fostered by task repetition. English L2 learners are engaged in oral narrative tasks three times per day under two different 3-day task repetition schedules: blocked (Day 1: A-A-A, Day 2: B-B-B, Day 3: C-C-C) versus interleaved (Day 1: A-B-C, Day 2: A-B-C, Day 3: A-B-C). Their phonological short-term memory (PSTM), attention control, and associative memory were used as predictors of fluency changes measured through speed, breakdown, and repair fluency behaviors. Results showed that while the articulation rate change was not explained by any of the examined predictors, breakdown and repair fluency were predicted by different memory components. Specifically, PSTM was associated with mid-clause pause decrease during the training phase, while associative memory was linked to the increase in clause-final pauses in the posttest. Attention control, as well as PSTM, was related to greater repair frequency in the posttest, indicating increased learners’ attention to speech monitoring. Furthermore, PSTM and associative memory contributed to reducing breakdown fluency in the blocked repetition condition only, suggesting that learners can capitalize on their memory for improving oral fluency by engaging in blocked practice.

Properties of autobiographical memories are reliable and stable individual differences

Autobiographical memory research typically focuses on individual memories with variability in individual participants' responses serving as error variance. Integrating individual-difference and experimental approaches demonstrated that properties of autobiographical memories are stable individual differences with stable patterns of correlations. In two sessions approximately one week apart, different cues were used to prompt seven autobiographical memories. Each memory was rated on 12 properties including visual imagery, emotional intensity, narrative coherence, reliving, and past rehearsals. In two studies with samples from different populations (Ns of 200 and 160), each property had a high reliability in both sessions (median α = .90), and the mean of each property averaged over seven memories correlated highly with itself over sessions (median r = .72). Multiple regressions predicting three properties from Session 1 with the remaining nine properties of Session 2 and exploratory factor analyses yielded solutions consistent with expectations from studies of individual memories. Moreover, the correlation matrices of the 12 properties across studies and sessions were extremely similar. Thus, separate sessions, cues, samples, and properties provided generalizable data about individual differences in autobiographical memory. Practical, theoretical, and methodological implications include that individual differences in memory affect: life stories and narrative structure internal to events, stable clinical syndromes and symptoms, experimental results previously attributed to the properties of individual memories, and the confidence people have in the accuracy of their autobiographical and episodic memories.

Association of CSF Biomarkers With Hippocampal-Dependent Memory in Preclinical Alzheimer Disease.

To determine whether memory tasks with demonstrated sensitivity to hippocampal function can detect variance related to preclinical Alzheimer disease (AD) biomarkers, we examined associations between performance in 3 memory tasks and CSF β-amyloid (Aβ)42/Aβ40 and phosopho-tau181 (p-tau181) in cognitively unimpaired older adults (CU). CU enrolled in the Stanford Aging and Memory Study (n = 153; age 68.78 ± 5.81 years; 94 female) completed a lumbar puncture and memory assessments. CSF Aβ42, Aβ40, and p-tau181 were measured with the automated Lumipulse G system in a single-batch analysis. Episodic memory was assayed using a standardized delayed recall composite, paired associate (word-picture) cued recall, and a mnemonic discrimination task that involves discrimination between studied "target" objects, novel "foil" objects, and perceptually similar "lure" objects. Analyses examined cross-sectional relationships among memory performance, age, and CSF measures, controlling for sex and education. Age and lower Aβ42/Aβ40 were independently associated with elevated p-tau181. Age, Aβ42/Aβ40, and p-tau181 were each associated with (1) poorer associative memory and (2) diminished improvement in mnemonic discrimination performance across levels of decreased task difficulty (i.e., target-lure similarity). P-tau mediated the effect of Aβ42/Aβ40 on memory. Relationships between CSF proteins and delayed recall were similar but nonsignificant. CSF Aβ42 was not significantly associated with p-tau181 or memory. Tests designed to tax hippocampal function are sensitive to subtle individual differences in memory among CU and correlate with early AD-associated biomarker changes in CSF. These tests may offer utility for identifying CU with preclinical AD pathology.

4차산업혁명 시대, 불전기록방법의 변화

This paper aims to suggest a compilation method of electronic documents for Buddhist, with the focus laid on Buddhist elements in the records, which is one of the digital methodologies for analyzing and interpreting source materials in humanities research areas. In the digital era, the concept of “digital encyves” a convergence of digital encyclopedia and digital archives and its development has a significant meaning. In Korea, the Electronic Buddhist Text & Cultural contents partly covers the role of digital archives in terms of the Buddhist elements from Buddhist historical records. Buddhist texts were memorized and handed over by a group of specialists in order to reduce errors occurred due to the individual differences in memory and to keep the original messages of the Buddha intact within the original Buddhist sangha. Electronic Buddhist texts have so far developed and digitized individually by leading institutes scattered around the world. Through cross link between databases, each electronic Buddhist text could be provided by end-users and Buddhist specialists. This could provide solution to correct errors contained in each electronic Buddhist text and to encourage specialists in the area of Buddhist studies to work together. This International Collaboration could show one of the ways to link various Buddhist texts, dictionaries and culture content operating together. Fore the future, we can expect that the revolution in scholarship brought about by the availability of primary source materials in digital format will continue as people find new ways to take advantage of the efficiencies of preservation, access, and searchability engendered by digitalization.

Examining the effects of transcranial direct current stimulation on human episodic memory with machine learning.

We aimed to replicate a published effect of transcranial direct-current stimulation (tDCS)-induced recognition enhancement over the human ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) and analyse the data with machine learning. We investigated effects over an adjacent region, the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). In total, we analyzed data from 97 participants after exclusions. We found weak or absent effects over the VLPFC and DLPFC. We conducted machine learning studies to examine the effects of semantic and phonetic features on memorization, which revealed no effect of VLPFC tDCS on the original dataset or the current data. The highest contributing factor to memory performance was individual differences in memory not explained by word features, tDCS group, or sample size, while semantic, phonetic, and orthographic word characteristics did not contribute significantly. To our knowledge, this is the first tDCS study to investigate cognitive effects with machine learning, and future studies may benefit from studying physiological as well as cognitive effects with data-driven approaches and computational models.

The development of event perception and memory

Adults segment continuous and dynamic environment into discrete units, and individual differences in segmentation predict individual differences in memory. Similar parsing mechanisms have been identified in infants, using different methods, but little is known about event segmentation in older children or about its relations to memory. We tested event segmentation and its relations to memory in 5- to 7-year-old children and adults. Participants performed two event comprehension tasks with short animated narrative movies: a unitization task, in which they pressed a key to mark boundaries between meaningful events, and a dwell time task, in which they viewed a self-paced slideshow, and completed two memory tasks. Adults outperformed children as expected. For both age groups, better event comprehension was associated with better memory, though which measures showed this relationship varied. Thus, by school age, children have developed event segmentation mechanisms that, like adults, contribute to episodic memory formation.

Medial temporal lobe white matter pathway variability is associated with individual differences in episodic memory in cognitively normal older adults

Significant evidence demonstrates that aging is associated with variability in cognitive performance, even among individuals who are cognitively normal. In this study, we examined measures from magnetic resonance imaging and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) to investigate which measures, alone or in combination, were associated with individual differences in episodic memory performance. Using hierarchical linear regressions, we compared the ability of diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) metrics, CSF measures of amyloid and tau, and gray matter volumes to explain variability in memory performance in a cohort of cognitively normal older adults. Measures of DTI microstructure were significantly associated with variance in memory performance, even after accounting for the contribution of the CSF and magnetic resonance imaging gray matter volume measures. Significant associations were found between DTI measures of the hippocampal cingulum and fornix with individual differences in memory. No such relationships were found between memory performance and CSF markers or gray matter volumes. These findings suggest that DTI metrics may be useful in identifying changes associated with aging or age-related diseases.

A Key Role for Subiculum-Fornix Connectivity in Recollection in Older Age.

Individual differences in memory during aging are associated with the microstructure of the fornix, a bidirectional tract connecting the hippocampus with the diencephalon, basal forebrain and cortex. To investigate the origin of alterations in fornix microstructure, measurement of hippocampal subfield volumes was combined with diffusion MRI and cognitive evaluation in a new sample of 31 healthy human participants aged 50–89 years. The fornix, uncinate and parahippocampal cingulum were reconstructed using diffusion MRI tractography. Episodic memory was assessed with free and cued verbal recall, visual recognition and paired associate learning tests. Recall performance was associated with fornix microstructure and hippocampal subfield volumes. Subiculum and CA1 volumes remained positively associated with fornix microstructure when controlling for other volumes. Subiculum volume was also associated with fornix microstructure independent of age. Regression analyses showed that subiculum-fornix associations explained more variation in recall than that of CA1-fornix associations. In a multivariable regression model, age and subiculum volume were independent predictors of free recall whilst fornix microstructure and CA1 volume were not. These results suggest that age-related changes in a network that includes the subiculum and fornix are important in cognitive change in healthy aging. These results match anatomical predictions concerning the importance of hippocampal – diencephalic projections for memory.

Cognitive Control of Eating: the Role of Memory in Appetite and Weight Gain

Purpose of reviewThe present review organises the recent literature on the role of memory in eating behaviours and provides an overview of the current evidence relating to the associations between memory and weight gain.Recent findingsResearch over the last few years has highlighted working memory as an important cognitive process that underpins many aspects of appetite control. Recent work on episodic memory and appetite has replicated work showing that manipulating memory for recent eating affects later consumption and extended this work to examine associations between individual differences in memory and eating behaviours. Poorer episodic memory ability is related to a reduced sensitivity to internal states of hunger and satiety and a tendency towards uncontrolled eating. There is also recent evidence to suggest that working memory and episodic memory impairments are related to weight gain and high BMI.SummaryWorking memory and episodic memory are core cognitive processes that are critical for food-related decision-making, and disruption to these processes contributes to problems with appetite control and weight gain, which suggests that weight loss programmes might be improved by the addition of cognitive training.

Individual differences in associative memory among older adults explained by hippocampal subfield structure and function

Older adults experience impairments in episodic memory, ranging from mild to clinically significant. Given the critical role of the medial temporal lobe (MTL) in episodic memory, age-related changes in MTL structure and function may partially account for individual differences in memory. Using ultra-high-field 7T structural MRI and high-resolution 3T functional MRI (hr-fMRI), we evaluated MTL subfield thickness and function in older adults representing a spectrum of cognitive health. Participants performed an associative memory task during hr-fMRI in which they encoded and later retrieved face-name pairs. Motivated by prior research, we hypothesized that differences in performance would be explained by the following: (i) entorhinal cortex (ERC) and CA1 apical neuropil layer [CA1-stratum radiatum lacunosum moleculare (SRLM)] thickness, and (ii) activity in ERC and the dentate gyrus (DG)/CA3 region. Regression analyses revealed that this combination of factors significantly accounted for variability in memory performance. Among these metrics, CA1-SRLM thickness was positively associated with memory, whereas DG/CA3 retrieval activity was negatively associated with memory. Furthermore, including structural and functional metrics in the same model better accounted for performance than did single-modality models. These results advance the understanding of how independent but converging influences of both MTL subfield structure and function contribute to age-related memory impairment, complementing findings in the rodent and human postmortem literatures.

Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Effects of CREB1 Genotypes on Individual Differences in Memory and Executive Function: Findings from the BLSA.

Purpose: Previously, we have shown that the SNP rs10932201 genotype of the cyclic AMP responsive element binding protein 1 gene (CREB1) contributes to individual differences in executive and memory function at the neural system and behavioral levels in healthy, young adults. However, longitudinal effects of CREB1 genotypes on cognition have not yet been addressed. Furthermore we were interested in replicating associations between CREB1 genotypes and human cognition in previous cross-sectional studies and explore whether APOE𝜀4 status might modify these relations.Materials and Methods: We investigated whether common, independent tag SNPs within CREB1 (rs2253206, rs10932201, rs6785) influence individual differences in age-related longitudinal change and level of executive function and memory performance independent of baseline age, sex, APOE𝜀4 status, and education. Our analysis included data from cognitively unimpaired older adults participating in the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. Eleven measures from six cognitive tests (sample sizes range 617–786) were analyzed using linear mixed effects and generalized estimating equations models. Mean baseline age ranged from 50 to 69 years and mean time of follow-up (interval) ranged from 8 to 22 years.Results: We found significant effects of all three CREB1 SNPs on performance level and/or longitudinal change in performance based on eight measures assessing semantic memory, episodic memory, or both executive function and semantic memory. SNP rs10932201 showed the most significant and largest effect (Cohen’s d = -0.70, p < 0.01) on age-related longitudinal decline of semantic memory. Additionally, we show interactions between all three CREB1 SNPs and APOE𝜀4 status on age-related longitudinal declines and levels of memory and executive function.Conclusion: Our results suggest that CREB1 genotypes independently and by interactions with APOE𝜀4 status contribute to individual differences in cognitive aging.

Aerobic fitness, hippocampal viscoelasticity, and relational memory performance

The positive relationship between hippocampal structure, aerobic fitness, and memory performance is often observed among children and older adults; but evidence of this relationship among young adults, for whom the hippocampus is neither developing nor atrophying, is less consistent. Studies have typically relied on hippocampal volumetry (a gross proxy of tissue composition) to assess individual differences in hippocampal structure. While volume is not specific to microstructural tissue characteristics, microstructural differences in hippocampal integrity may exist even among healthy young adults when volumetric differences are not diagnostic of tissue health or cognitive function. Magnetic resonance elastography (MRE) is an emerging noninvasive imaging technique for measuring viscoelastic tissue properties and provides quantitative measures of tissue integrity. We have previously demonstrated that individual differences in hippocampal viscoelasticity are related to performance on a relational memory task; however, little is known about health correlates to this novel measure. In the current study, we investigated the relationship between hippocampal viscoelasticity and cardiovascular health, and their mutual effect on relational memory in a group of healthy young adults (N=51). We replicated our previous finding that hippocampal viscoelasticity correlates with relational memory performance. We extend this work by demonstrating that better aerobic fitness, as measured by VO2max, was associated with hippocampal viscoelasticity that mediated the benefits of fitness on memory function. Hippocampal volume, however, did not account for individual differences in memory. Therefore, these data suggest that hippocampal viscoelasticity may provide a more sensitive measure to microstructural tissue organization and its consequences to cognition among healthy young adults.

Individual Differences in Dynamic Multitasking Performance

The current study examined whether individual differences in memory, attention, and visuospatial ability are significant predictors of multitasking ability (multitasking performance baseline level) and multitasking adaptability (the capacity to adapt to dynamic changes in task demands). Participants were administered a neuropsychological battery to measure individual differences in cognitive abilities. Then, participants performed the Multi-Attribute Task Battery-II (MATB) comprising of three workload conditions. Results indicated that participants scoring higher on measures of attention performed better on the MATB during the baseline condition (ability). However, higher scores on measures of delayed memory predicted better performance during more demanding MATB conditions (adaptability), while visuospatial ability predicted worsened performance during more demanding MATB conditions. Additionally, higher global neuropsychological functioning predicted better MATB performance during all conditions.

Orthographic Knowledge and Lexical Form Influence Vocabulary Learning.

Many adults struggle with second language acquisition, but learn new native-language words relatively easily. We investigated the role of sublexical native-language patterns on novel word acquisition. Twenty English monolinguals learned 48 novel written words in five repeated testing blocks. Half were orthographically wordlike (e.g., nish, high neighborhood density and high segment/bigram frequency), while half were not (e.g., gofp, low neighborhood density and low segment/bigram frequency). Participants were faster and more accurate at recognizing and producing wordlike items, indicating a native-language similarity benefit. Individual differences in memory and vocabulary size influenced learning, and error analyses indicated that participants extracted probabilistic information from the novel vocabulary. Results suggest that language learners benefit from both native-language overlap and regularities within the novel language.

Short-term memory for faces relates to general intelligence moderately

The results associated with a small number of investigations suggest that individual differences in memory for faces, as measured by the Cambridge Face Memory Test (CFMT), are independent of intelligence. Consequently, memory for faces has been suggested to be a special construct, unlike other cognitive abilities. However, previous investigations have measured intelligence with only one or two subtests. Additionally, the sample sizes upon which previous investigations were based were relatively small (N=45 to 80). Consequently, in this investigation, a battery of eight cognitive ability tests and the CFMT were administered to a relatively large number of participants (N=211). Based on a correlated-factor model, memory for faces was found to be correlated positively with fluid intelligence (.29), short-term memory (.23) and lexical knowledge ability (.19). Additionally, based on a higher-order model, memory for faces was found to be associated with g at .34. The results are interpreted to suggest that memory for faces, as measured by the CFMT, may be characterised as a relatively typical narrow cognitive ability within the Cattell–Horn–Carroll (CHC) model of intelligence, rather than a special ability (i.e., independent of other abilities). Future research with a greater diversity in the measurement of face recognition ability is encouraged (e.g., long-term memory), as the CFMT is a measure of short-term face memory ability.