Description
- Abstract:
- During recognition memory, previously studied ("old") items elicit greater pupil dilation than unstudied ("new") items, known as the pupil old/new effect. Traditionally, this effect is often thought to reflect memory trace strength. However, recent findings suggest it reflects the interaction between the retrieval cue and the stored trace, particularly the perceptual match (the "pupil match/no-match effect"). We conducted two experiments to investigate the roles of recollection and familiarity in these effects. In Experiment 1, words were encoded either through distributed (sporadic repetitions) or massed (immediate repetitions) learning. Distributed learning enhances contextual recollection and improves memory performance, while massed learning suppresses recollection and emphasizes familiarity. Pupil dilation varied based on the perceptual cue-trace match rather than the memory strength across conditions. Distributed learning yielded better accuracy and confidence than massed and single-trial learning. The pupil old/new effect was consistent across learning conditions. However, distributed learning showed a pronounced pupil match/no-match effect, while massed learning exhibited a reversed effect. Experiment 2 used a word-stem completion priming task to test if this reversed pattern reflected ease of processing due to familiarity. Successfully primed words, mediated by familiarity, elicited smaller pupil dilation, mirroring the reversed match/no-match effect seen with massed learning in Experiment 1. Overall, our results indicate that during recognition memory, pupil dilation reflects the interaction between the encoded trace and the retrieval cue, rather than memory strength alone. The amplified pupillary match effect for distributed learning suggests enhanced recollection, while the reversed effect for massed learning suggests reduced retrieval effort due to familiarity, akin to implicit priming effects.
- Notes:
- Thesis (Sc. M.)--Brown University, 2026
Citation
Jian, Wen,
"What drives the pupil old/new effect? Recollection, familiarity, and memory strength"
(2026).
Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences Theses and Dissertations.
Brown Digital Repository. Brown University Library.
https://repository.library.brown.edu/studio/item/bdr:7vzaz5y8/
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Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences Theses and Dissertations
Theses and Dissertations for the Cognitive, Linguistic, and Psychological Sciences department....