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Journal of Undergraduate Research

Keywords

neural correlates, encoding and false memories, recognition memory

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Memory is an essential component for day to day living. Recognition memory in the brain has been associated with specific neural structures such as the medial temporal lobe (MTL), including the hippocampus and the adjacent MTL cortex [1]. The hippocampus is known for its ability to encode and retrieve memories through the distinct processes of pattern separation and pattern completion [2]. Pattern separation is the process of separating two similar stimuli to create distinct memories (i.e. discerning which of 2 similar toothbrushes belongs to you). Pattern completion is the retrieval of an old representation given a noisy or degraded cue (i.e. concluding a toothbrush is yours when presented with one that is not, but is similar). Many previous studies have been performed which use either a test-retest or a continuous recognition paradigm to study memory. This study took a novel approach of a study-test-second test, in order to better understand how false memories are represented in the brain. We are interested in understanding whether or not false memories rewrite the original memory.

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Psychology Commons

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