Abstract
Without the language to describe the objects and events in the environment, is it more difficult to encode memories of those objects and events? Based on our previous research, we expected better memory for objects we have the language to label. Specifically, in our study we examined the relationship between language and source memory. First, participants were presented the names of novel animals to learn. Participants were then asked to draw some of the animals they just learned, along with some novel animals as well. This exposed the participants to novel stimuli, but without any language or labels to describe them. After the drawing task, participants learned the names of some of the novel animals presented during the drawing task. Following a 40 minute distractor task, participants were tested on their ability to recognize the animals they had drawn. If having the label of an animal allows encoding to occur, then participants should be able to better recognize the animals they studied before completing the drawing task, rather than the animals they learned the names of afterwards. These results could have important implications for understanding the relationship between language and childhood amnesia.
Faculty Sponsors
W. Matthew Collins, Ph.D.
Project Type
Event
Location
Alvin Sherman Library
Start Date
4-10-2015 1:00 PM
End Date
4-10-2015 5:30 PM
Source Memory Recognition After a Distractor Task
Alvin Sherman Library
Without the language to describe the objects and events in the environment, is it more difficult to encode memories of those objects and events? Based on our previous research, we expected better memory for objects we have the language to label. Specifically, in our study we examined the relationship between language and source memory. First, participants were presented the names of novel animals to learn. Participants were then asked to draw some of the animals they just learned, along with some novel animals as well. This exposed the participants to novel stimuli, but without any language or labels to describe them. After the drawing task, participants learned the names of some of the novel animals presented during the drawing task. Following a 40 minute distractor task, participants were tested on their ability to recognize the animals they had drawn. If having the label of an animal allows encoding to occur, then participants should be able to better recognize the animals they studied before completing the drawing task, rather than the animals they learned the names of afterwards. These results could have important implications for understanding the relationship between language and childhood amnesia.
