1
|
Bräutigam LC, Leuthold H, Mackenzie IG, Mittelstädt V. Proactive reward in conflict tasks: Does it only enhance general performance or also modulate conflict effects? Atten Percept Psychophys 2024:10.3758/s13414-024-02896-5. [PMID: 38914923 DOI: 10.3758/s13414-024-02896-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/26/2024]
Abstract
In the present study, we investigated the influence of performance-contingent reward prospects on task performance across three visual conflict tasks with manual responses (Experiments 1 & 2: Simon and Stroop tasks; Experiment 3: Simon and Eriksen flanker task) using block-wise (Experiment 1) and trial-wise (Experiments 2 & 3) manipulations to signal the possibility of reward. Across all experiments, task performance (in reaction time and/or error rates) generally improved in reward compared with no-reward conditions in each conflict task. However, there was, if any, little evidence that the reward manipulation modulated the size of the mean conflict effects, and there was also no evidence for conflict-specific effects of reward when controlling for time-varying fluctuations in conflict processing via distributional analyses (delta plots). Thus, the results provide no evidence for conflict-specific accounts and instead favor performance-general accounts, where reward anticipation leads to overall performance improvements without affecting conflict effects. We discuss possible implications for how proactive control might modulate the interplay between target- and distractor-processing in conflict tasks.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Linda C Bräutigam
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstrasse 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany.
| | - Hartmut Leuthold
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstrasse 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Ian G Mackenzie
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstrasse 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Victor Mittelstädt
- Department of Psychology, University of Tübingen, Schleichstrasse 4, 72076, Tübingen, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wang J, Gutchess A. How False Memory and True Memory Affect Decision Making in Older Adults: A Dissociative Account. J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci 2024; 79:gbae061. [PMID: 38642397 DOI: 10.1093/geronb/gbae061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 04/22/2024] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Remembering past rewarding experiences plays a crucial rule in guiding people's decision making in the future. However, as people age, they become less accurate in remembering past events and more susceptible to forming false memories. An important question is how the decline of episodic memory and the increase of false memory may affect older adults' decision-making performance. METHODS The current study used a newly developed paradigm in which the Deese-Roediger-McDermott (DRM) false memory paradigm was combined with a reward learning task to create robust false memories of rewarding experiences. Participants learned that some DRM picture lists brought them a monetary reward and some DRM picture lists did not bring reward. Later, their memories were tested and decision-making preferences were measured. RESULTS We found that older and younger adults had almost equivalent false and true memories under the rewarding context, but older adults showed significantly lower decision-making preferences for lure pictures and rewarded pictures than younger adults. Furthermore, true and false memories were a stronger predictor of decision-making preferences for younger than for older adults. DISCUSSION These results together suggest an age-related dissociation between memory and decision making that older adults may be less efficient in using their memory to guide decision making than younger adults. Future research may further investigate its underlying mechanisms and develop potential interventions aiming at strengthening the connection between memory and decision making in older adults to help improve their decision-making performance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianqin Wang
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Angela Gutchess
- Department of Psychology, Brandeis University, Waltham, Massachusetts, USA
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lu C, Lu Y, Wang J. Suppressing memory associations impacts decision-making preference: Evidence from the think/no-think paradigm. Conscious Cogn 2024; 118:103643. [PMID: 38224648 DOI: 10.1016/j.concog.2024.103643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2023] [Revised: 12/16/2023] [Accepted: 01/08/2024] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Recent research has suggested that episodic memory can guide our decision-making. Forgetting is one essential characteristic of memory. If certain memories are suppressed to be forgotten, decisions that rely on such memories should be impacted. So far, little research has examined whether suppression of episodic memory would impact decision-making. In the current pre-registered study, the effect of memory suppression on subsequent reinforcement decision-making was examined by combining the Think/No-think paradigm and a reinforcement decision-making task. We found that suppressing memories of learned associations significantly impaired recollected memories of those associations, and participants' decision bias disappeared after their memory associations were suppressed. Furthermore, the more memory associations participants recalled, the higher decision preferences they exhibited. Our findings provide additional support for the role of episodic memory in reinforcement decision-making, and suggest that suppressing memory associations can lead to behavioral consequences.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chen Lu
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, China
| | - Yuetong Lu
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, China
| | - Jianqin Wang
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, China.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Li C, Otgaar H, Muris P, Zhang Y, Wang J. Inducing emotionally negative nonbelieved memories using negative pictures. Mem Cognit 2024; 52:41-56. [PMID: 37432570 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-023-01441-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Memories that can be recalled but are no longer believed are termed nonbelieved memories. The current studies examined the creation of emotionally negative nonbelieved memories after viewing negatively valenced pictures. In both experiments, participants took part in two sessions. In Session 1, after being presented with a set of neutral and negative pictures, participants had to rate their emotional state. One week later, in Session 2, participants had to complete a recognition task to identify pictures that had appeared during the previous session. During this task, participants' memories for some pictures were challenged by telling them that their answers were incorrect in order to evoke nonbelieved memories. The experimental procedure was successful in creating nonbelieved memories in the participants. Specifically, in Experiment 1 (N = 35), we induced nonbelieved true memories for both negative and neutral pictures. We found a significant decrease in both belief and recollection after the challenge, with the change in belief being twice as large as the change in recollection. In Experiment 2 (N = 43), we successfully induced both nonbelieved true and false memories for negative pictures. Again, the reduction of belief was significantly greater than that of recollection. In general, participants evinced better memory for negative pictures, but following challenges people were just as likely to accept false social feedback and change their memories regarding other types of pictures. In both experiments, our challenges did not lead to notable changes in emotional state. In general, our findings show that emotionally negative nonbelieved memories can be successfully evoked in an experimental setting.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chunlin Li
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Muris
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Yikang Zhang
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jianqin Wang
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Li C, Otgaar H, Battista F, Muris P, Wang J. Challenging memories reduces intrusive memories and the memory amplification effect. Memory 2023; 31:1039-1050. [PMID: 37259856 DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2023.2218631] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2022] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
This study scrutinizes the influence of attenuating beliefs about the veracity of traumatic experiences on the manifestation of intrusive recollections and the memory amplification effect. Participants were exposed to distress-inducing visual stimuli, subsequently rating their emotional status pre and post exposure. They engaged in a recognition task, identifying scenarios within the stimuli. Participants' recall was contested, casting doubt about the occurrence of certain scenes. Subsequently, they maintained a daily log of intrusive memories over a week. A second session reiterated the same process. This method effectively diminished the certainty in the participants' traumatic memories. Scenes whose occurrence was contested demonstrated a significant decline in both intrusive memories and memory amplification when juxtaposed with uncontested ones. Interestingly, no significant correlation emerged between the diminished belief in traumatic incidents and reductions in intrusive memory or memory amplification. Thus, this study advocates that interrogating the veracity of traumatic recollections can mitigate the prevalence of intrusive memories and the memory amplification effect, suggesting a novel potential therapeutic approach for trauma-related disorders.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Chunlin Li
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Fabiana Battista
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Muris
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Jianqin Wang
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Shanghai, People's Republic of China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Chen Z, Veling H. Toward a better understanding of durable behavior change by food Go/NoGo training. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
|
7
|
Kusev P, Schaik P, Teal J, Martin R, Hall L, Johansson P. How false feedback influences decision‐makers' risk preferences. JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/bdm.2278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Petko Kusev
- Behavioural Research Centre, Huddersfield Business School University of Huddersfield Huddersfield UK
| | - Paul Schaik
- Department of Psychology Teesside University Middlesbrough UK
| | - Joseph Teal
- Behavioural Research Centre, Huddersfield Business School University of Huddersfield Huddersfield UK
| | - Rose Martin
- Department of People and Organisations, Surrey Business School University of Surrey Guildford UK
| | - Lars Hall
- Lund University Cognitive Science Lund University Lund Sweden
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Wang J, Smeets T, Otgaar H, Howe ML. Manipulating Memory Associations Minimizes Avoidance Behavior. Front Behav Neurosci 2021; 15:746161. [PMID: 34803623 PMCID: PMC8595481 DOI: 10.3389/fnbeh.2021.746161] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/13/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Memories of the past can guide humans to avoid harm. The logical consequence of this is if memories are changed, avoidance behavior should be affected. More than 80 years of false memory research has shown that people's memory can be re-constructed or distorted by receiving suggestive false feedback. The current study examined whether manipulating people's memories of learned associations would impact fear related behavior. A modified sensory preconditioning paradigm of fear learning was used. Critically, in a memory test after fear learning, participants received verbal false feedback to change their memory associations. After receiving the false feedback, participants' beliefs and memories ratings for learned associations decreased significantly compared to the no feedback condition. Furthermore, in the false feedback condition, participants no longer showed avoidance to fear conditioned stimuli and relevant subjective fear ratings dropped significantly. Our results suggest that manipulating memory associations might minimize avoidance behavior in fear conditioning. These data also highlight the role of memory in higher order conditioning.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jianqin Wang
- Laboratory of Social Psychology and Behavioral Science, Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Tom Smeets
- Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, Netherlands
| | - Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Law, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
| | - Mark L. Howe
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, City University of London, London, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|