Influences of Perceptual Fluency on Explicit Testing of Recognition Memory

准确识别以前学到的信息的能力是人类成功的核心。这种能力依赖于一套复杂的大脑机制。传统上，人类记忆被细分为有提取意识的记忆或外显记忆，以及无提取意识的记忆或内隐记忆。令人惊讶的是，在没有明显的熟悉感或记忆力的情况下，一个人在记忆测试中有可能做出高精度的反应。在国家科学基金会的支持下，西北大学的肯·帕勒博士和他的同事们将对隐含识别的情况进行描述。当人们对自己的记忆信心微乎其微时，就会发现内隐识别，而外显记忆则表现出相反的模式。内隐识别对于在严重限制信息处理的条件下学习的刺激来说更强，即使这些条件会导致非常糟糕的外显记忆。通过在人们进行记忆测试时记录放置在头皮上的电极的大脑活动，帕勒博士将研究哪些特定的大脑电位与内隐记忆有关，哪些与外显记忆有关。本研究的结果将为认知神经科学的本科生、研究生和博士后提供关于内隐记忆和外显记忆机制以及这两种机制如何驱动准确记忆判断的新信息。具体的发现预计会被广泛传播，并将导致对外显和内隐记忆如何影响日常行为的大量洞察。这些知识对于提高我们在课堂上、法庭上、在获得各种认知技能和人际交往中对学习和记忆的理解将是重要的。这项工作还将有助于为因衰老或神经疾病而记忆困难的人设计康复策略。

The ability to accurately recognize information that was previously learned is central to human success. This ability relies on a complex set of brain mechanisms. Traditionally, human memory is subdivided into memory with awareness of retrieval, or explicit memory, and memory without awareness of retrieval, or implicit memory. Surprisingly, it is possible for a person to respond with high accuracy on a memory test in the absence of explicit feelings of familiarity or remembering. With support from the National Science Foundation, Dr. Ken Paller and colleagues at Northwestern University will characterize the circumstances under which implicit recognition is possible. Implicit recognition is found when people have negligible confidence about their memory, whereas explicit memory shows the reverse pattern. Implicit recognition is stronger for stimuli that are learned under conditions that place severe limitations on information processing, even though these conditions lead to very poor explicit memory. By recording brain activity from electrodes placed on the scalp while people perform memory tests, Dr. Paller will investigate which specific brain potentials are associated with implicit memory and which are associated with explicit memory. The results of this research will provide new information about mechanisms of implicit and explicit memory and about how both types of mechanism can drive accurate memory judgments.This research project will provide training opportunities for undergraduate, graduate, and post-doctoral trainees in cognitive neuroscience. Specific findings are expected to be disseminated widely and will lead to numerous insights into how explicit and implicit memory influences everyday behavior. Such knowledge will be important for enhancing our understanding of learning and memory in the classroom, in a court of law, in the acquisition of various cognitive skills, and in interpersonal interactions. The work will also aid efforts to devise rehabilitation strategies for people with memory difficulties due to aging or neurological disorders.