Encoding and retrieval factors in human memory

该计划的总体目标是继续我对记忆编码和提取过程中相关因素的研究，重点关注几个悬而未决的问题，这些问题对于更全面地理解人类记忆及其在整个生命周期中的变化是必要的。这些问题包括：工作记忆的性质及其与注意力、执行功能和特定能力的关系；“加工资源”的性质及其在与年龄相关的记忆变化中的作用；影响前瞻记忆任务表现的因素；以及关于“在没有意识的情况下进行识别”的实验。我还计划继续研究双语对记忆和注意力控制的影响，重点放在它们的神经关联上。在前期工作中，我们已经证明了语言和空间工作记忆的测量本质上是独立的；现在我希望将这个实验扩展到测量语言、空间、音乐和面孔识别能力的工作记忆。主要问题涉及工作记忆能力和注意控制两个方面的领域共性或特殊性。我还将在一项合作的功能磁共振研究中研究这个问题。我将继续探讨有关注意资源的概念及其在编码和提取过程中的作用的问题；与年龄相关的记忆困难是否可以追溯到处理资源的减少？在第三组研究中，我将继续合作研究双语对认知老化的影响。这里的两条主线首先是探索双语对老年人记忆的可能有益影响的实验。我的预测是，使用非语言材料和识别的“有意识记忆”方面的效果将最强。我们还计划进行一项神经成像研究，以跟进初步发现，即双语是认知储备的一种形式。我们希望证实这样一个概念，即双语并不能减缓与年龄相关的内侧颞区萎缩的速度，而是增强了额叶的代偿活动。最后，我将进行无意识再认的实验，以及与年龄相关的前瞻记忆和计划差异的实验。

The general goals of the proposed program are to continue my investigations of relevant factors in memory encoding and retrieval processes by focusing on several outstanding questions that are necessary for a fuller understanding of human memory and its changes across the lifespan. These questions include the nature of working memory and its relations to attention, executive functions and specific abilities; the nature of 'processing resources' and their role in age-related memory changes; factors influencing performance in prospective memory tasks, and experiments on the reality of 'recognition without awareness.' I also plan to continue work on the effects of bilingualism on memory and attentional control, with some emphasis on their neural correlates. In preliminary work we have shown that measures of verbal and spatial WM are essentially independent; I now wish to extend this experiment to measure WM for verbal, spatial, musical and face-recognition abilities. The major questions concern the domain generality or specificity of both the ability and the attentional control aspects of WM. I will also examine this question in a collaborative fMRI study. I will continue to explore questions relating to the concept of attentional resources and their role in encoding and retrieval processes; can age-related memory difficulties be traced to declining processing resources? In a third group of studies, I will continue collaborative work on the effects of bilingualism on cognitive aging. The two main lines here are first an experiment to explore possible beneficial effects of bilingualism on memory in older adults. My prediction is that effects will be strongest with nonverbal material and in the 'conscious recollection' aspect of recognition. We also plan a neuroimaging study to follow up on preliminary findings that suggest that bilingualism is a form of cognitive reserve. We wish to confirm the notion that bilingualism does not slow the rate of age-related atrophy of medial-temporal regions, but rather enhances compensatory activity located in the frontal lobes. Finally, I will conduct experiments on recognition without awareness, and on age-related differences in prospective memory and planning.