1
|
Moscovitch DA, Moscovitch M, Sheldon S. Neurocognitive Model of Schema-Congruent and -Incongruent Learning in Clinical Disorders: Application to Social Anxiety and Beyond. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2023; 18:1412-1435. [PMID: 36795637 PMCID: PMC10623626 DOI: 10.1177/17456916221141351] [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] [Indexed: 02/17/2023]
Abstract
Negative schemas lie at the core of many common and debilitating mental disorders. Thus, intervention scientists and clinicians have long recognized the importance of designing effective interventions that target schema change. Here, we suggest that the optimal development and administration of such interventions can benefit from a framework outlining how schema change occurs in the brain. Guided by basic neuroscientific findings, we provide a memory-based neurocognitive framework for conceptualizing how schemas emerge and change over time and how they can be modified during psychological treatment of clinical disorders. We highlight the critical roles of the hippocampus, ventromedial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, and posterior neocortex in directing schema-congruent and -incongruent learning (SCIL) in the interactive neural network that comprises the autobiographical memory system. We then use this framework, which we call the SCIL model, to derive new insights about the optimal design features of clinical interventions that aim to strengthen or weaken schema-based knowledge through the core processes of episodic mental simulation and prediction error. Finally, we examine clinical applications of the SCIL model to schema-change interventions in psychotherapy and provide cognitive-behavior therapy for social anxiety disorder as an illustrative example.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Moscovitch
- Department of Psychology and Centre for Mental Health Research & Treatment, University of Waterloo
| | - Morris Moscovitch
- Rotman Research Institute and Department of Psychology, Baycrest Centre for Geriatric Care
- Department of Psychology, University of Toronto
| | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Golkashani HA, Ghorbani S, Leong RLF, Ong JL, Chee MWL. Advantage conferred by overnight sleep on schema-related memory may last only a day. SLEEP ADVANCES : A JOURNAL OF THE SLEEP RESEARCH SOCIETY 2023; 4:zpad019. [PMID: 37193282 PMCID: PMC10155747 DOI: 10.1093/sleepadvances/zpad019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2022] [Revised: 03/07/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023]
Abstract
Study Objectives Sleep contributes to declarative memory consolidation. Independently, schemas benefit memory. Here we investigated how sleep compared with active wake benefits schema consolidation 12 and 24 hours after initial learning. Methods Fifty-three adolescents (age: 15-19 years) randomly assigned into sleep and active wake groups participated in a schema-learning protocol based on transitive inference (i.e. If B > C and C > D then B > D). Participants were tested immediately after learning and following 12-, and 24-hour intervals of wake or sleep for both the adjacent (e.g. B-C, C-D; relational memory) and inference pairs: (e.g.: B-D, B-E, and C-E). Memory performance following the respective 12- and 24-hour intervals were analyzed using a mixed ANOVA with schema (schema, no-schema) as the within-participant factor, and condition (sleep, wake) as the between-participant factor. Results Twelve hours after learning, there were significant main effects of condition (sleep, wake) and schema, as well as a significant interaction, whereby schema-related memory was significantly better in the sleep condition compared to wake. Higher sleep spindle density was most consistently associated with greater overnight schema-related memory benefit. After 24 hours, the memory advantage of initial sleep was diminished. Conclusions Overnight sleep preferentially benefits schema-related memory consolidation following initial learning compared with active wake, but this advantage may be eroded after a subsequent night of sleep. This is possibly due to delayed consolidation that might occur during subsequent sleep opportunities in the wake group. Clinical Trial Information Name: Investigating Preferred Nap Schedules for Adolescents (NFS5) URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04044885. Registration: NCT04044885.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hosein Aghayan Golkashani
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shohreh Ghorbani
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ruth L F Leong
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ju Lynn Ong
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| | - Michael W L Chee
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Reagh ZM, Ranganath C. Flexible reuse of cortico-hippocampal representations during encoding and recall of naturalistic events. Nat Commun 2023; 14:1279. [PMID: 36890146 PMCID: PMC9995562 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-36805-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Although every life event is unique, there are considerable commonalities across events. However, little is known about whether or how the brain flexibly represents information about different event components at encoding and during remembering. Here, we show that different cortico-hippocampal networks systematically represent specific components of events depicted in videos, both during online experience and during episodic memory retrieval. Regions of an Anterior Temporal Network represented information about people, generalizing across contexts, whereas regions of a Posterior Medial Network represented context information, generalizing across people. Medial prefrontal cortex generalized across videos depicting the same event schema, whereas the hippocampus maintained event-specific representations. Similar effects were seen in real-time and recall, suggesting reuse of event components across overlapping episodic memories. These representational profiles together provide a computationally optimal strategy to scaffold memory for different high-level event components, allowing efficient reuse for event comprehension, recollection, and imagination.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zachariah M Reagh
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Washington University in St. Louis, St. Louis, MO, USA.
| | - Charan Ranganath
- UC Davis Center for Neuroscience, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.,Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Cockcroft JP, Berens SC, Gaskell MG, Horner AJ. Schematic information influences memory and generalisation behaviour for schema-relevant and -irrelevant information. Cognition 2022; 227:105203. [PMID: 35717767 DOI: 10.1016/j.cognition.2022.105203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2021] [Revised: 04/25/2022] [Accepted: 06/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Schemas modulate memory performance for schema-congruent and -incongruent information. However, it is assumed they do not influence behaviour for information irrelevant to themselves. We assessed memory and generalisation behaviour for information related to an underlying pattern, where a schema could be extracted (schema-relevant), and information that was unrelated and therefore irrelevant to the extracted schema (schema-irrelevant). Using precision measures of long-term memory, where participants learnt associations between words and locations around a circle, we assessed memory and generalisation for schema-relevant and -irrelevant information. Words belonged to two semantic categories: human-made and natural. For one category, word-locations were clustered around one point on the circle (clustered condition), while the other category had word-locations randomly distributed (non-clustered condition). The presence of an underlying pattern in the clustered condition allows for the extraction of a schema that can support both memory and generalisation. At test, participants were presented with old (memory) and new (generalisation) words, requiring them to identify a remembered location or make a best guess. The presence of the clustered pattern modulated memory and generalisation. In the clustered condition, participants placed old and new words in locations consistent with the underlying pattern. In contrast, for the non-clustered condition, participants were less likely to place old and new non-clustered words in locations consistent with the clustered condition. Therefore, we provide evidence that the presence of schematic information modulates memory and generalisation for schema-relevant and -irrelevant information. Our results highlight the need to carefully construct appropriate schema-irrelevant control conditions such that behaviour in these conditions is not modulated by the presence of a schema. Theoretically, models of schema processing need to account for how the presence of schematic information can have consequences for information that is irrelevant to itself.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie P Cockcroft
- Department of Psychology, University of York, UK; York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, UK
| | | | | | - Aidan J Horner
- Department of Psychology, University of York, UK; York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Aghayan Golkashani H, Leong RLF, Ghorbani S, Ong JL, Fernández G, Chee MWL. A sleep schedule incorporating naps benefits the transformation of hierarchical knowledge. Sleep 2022; 45:6516991. [PMID: 35090173 PMCID: PMC8996033 DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsac025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Study Objectives
The learning brain establishes schemas (knowledge structures) that benefit subsequent learning. We investigated how sleep and having a schema might benefit initial learning followed by rearranged and expanded memoranda. We concurrently examined the contributions of sleep spindles and slow-wave sleep to learning outcomes.
Methods
Fifty-three adolescents were randomly assigned to an 8 h Nap schedule (6.5 h nocturnal sleep with a 90-minute daytime nap) or an 8 h No-Nap, nocturnal-only sleep schedule. The study spanned 14 nights, simulating successive school weeks. We utilized a transitive inference task involving hierarchically ordered faces. Initial learning to set up the schema was followed by rearrangement of the hierarchy (accommodation) and hierarchy expansion (assimilation). The expanded sequence was restudied. Recall of hierarchical knowledge was tested after initial learning and at multiple points for all subsequent phases. As a control, both groups underwent a No-schema condition where the hierarchy was introduced and modified without opportunity to set up a schema. Electroencephalography accompanied the multiple sleep opportunities.
Results
There were main effects of Nap schedule and Schema condition evidenced by superior recall of initial learning, reordered and expanded memoranda. Improved recall was consistently associated with higher fast spindle density but not slow-wave measures. This was true for both nocturnal sleep and daytime naps.
Conclusion
A sleep schedule incorporating regular nap opportunities compared to one that only had nocturnal sleep benefited building of robust and flexible schemas, facilitating recall of the subsequently rearranged and expanded structured knowledge. These benefits appear to be strongly associated with fast spindles.
Clinical Trial registration
NCT04044885 (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04044885).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hosein Aghayan Golkashani
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ruth L F Leong
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Shohreh Ghorbani
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Ju Lynn Ong
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Guillén Fernández
- Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behavior, Radboud University Medical Center, Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Michael W L Chee
- Centre for Sleep and Cognition, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Cook KM, You X, Cherry JB, Merchant JS, Skapek M, Powers MD, Pugliese CE, Kenworthy L, Vaidya CJ. Neural correlates of schema-dependent episodic memory and association with behavioral flexibility in autism spectrum disorders and typical development. J Neurodev Disord 2021; 13:35. [PMID: 34525948 PMCID: PMC8442441 DOI: 10.1186/s11689-021-09388-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 05/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Conceptual knowledge frameworks termed schemas facilitate memory formation and are posited to support flexible behavior. In adults, the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) trade-off in supporting schema-based memory formation, such that encoding of subsequently remembered schema-congruent information relies on mPFC, whereas schema-incongruent information relies on MTL. Whether this is true in the immature brain and relates to behavioral flexibility is unknown. In this preliminary investigation, we aimed to replicate the adult findings in typically developing (TD) children and to investigate the relevance to behavioral flexibility by examining a disorder with pathognomonic behavioral rigidity, autism spectrum disorder (ASD). METHODS Children completed an associative subsequent memory paradigm, encoding object-scene pairs in an MRI scanner and subsequently completing a recognition test outside the scanner after a delay. Recognition performance was back sorted to construct remembered vs forgotten contrasts. One-way ANOVAS were conducted in MTL and mPFC masks for schema-congruency, followed by congruency by flexibility scores. Exploratory analyses were then conducted within the whole brain. RESULTS As reported in adults, episodic memory was strongest for schema-congruent object-scene pairs, followed by intermediate pairs, and lowest for schema-incongruent pairs in both TD and ASD groups. However, the trade-off between mPFC and MTL in TD children differed from adult reports such that mPFC supported memory for intermediate schema-congruency and left anterior MTL supported memory for schema-congruent pairs. In ASD, mPFC engagement interacted with flexibility such that activation supporting memory for intermediate schema-congruency varied with parent-reported flexibility and was higher in those with more flexible behavior. A similar interaction was also observed in both the left dorsolateral and rostrolateral PFC in whole-brain analysis. CONCLUSION Our findings provide the first preliminary evidence for the association of schema-based episodic memory formation and behavioral flexibility, an executive function impaired in multiple developmental disorders. Upon replication, this line of research holds promise for memory-based interventions addressing executive problems of behavioral rigidity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kevin M Cook
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, 401 White-Gravenor, 37th and O Streets NW, Washington, DC, 20007, USA.
| | - Xiaozhen You
- Children's Research Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, 20010, USA
| | - Joseph Bradley Cherry
- Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience, Georgetown University, 401 White-Gravenor, 37th and O Streets NW, Washington, DC, 20007, USA
| | - Junaid S Merchant
- Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD, 20742, USA
| | - Mary Skapek
- University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT, 06269, USA
| | | | - Cara E Pugliese
- Children's Research Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, 20010, USA
| | - Lauren Kenworthy
- Children's Research Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, 20010, USA
| | - Chandan J Vaidya
- Children's Research Institute, Children's National Health System, Washington, DC, 20010, USA.
- Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, 20007, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Ouyang H, Li B, McCarthy M, Miao S, Kilcawley K, Fenelon M, Kelly A, Sheehan JJ. Understanding preferences for, and consumer behavior toward, cheese among a cohort of young, educated, internationally mobile Chinese consumers. J Dairy Sci 2021; 104:12415-12426. [PMID: 34482973 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2021-20598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 06/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
This study explores the experiences of a cohort of young, educated, internationally mobile Chinese consumers with cheese and other dairy products, and how these experiences shape their behavior toward cheese products. In total, 41 Chinese students studying at an Irish university participated in 5 focus groups (n = 41, n = 7-10). Thematic analysis identified important factors that influence consumer behaviors regarding cheese products. Individuals' expectations toward cheese were embedded in their knowledge structures, which were constructed from previous experience. Participants had general positive expectations toward cheese due to associations with western-style foods and nostalgia; however, direct eating experience determined long-term behavior. When making a purchase decision, choice motives were weighed and negotiated to establish a fundamental driving factor for purchase. Perceived probability of choice motive fulfillment was important in determining purchase decisions, with many participants having low perceived ability to select cheese and limited motivation to engage with cheese due to limited perceived relevance of cheese to their daily food life. Individuals' innovativeness was an important factor that influences their openness to cheese products when moving beyond familiar foods. Opportunities exist such as using nostalgic cues as marketing tools to increase consumers' interest in cheese or combining cheese with Chinese food to increase perceived relevance of cheese to their daily food life. Providing information at point of purchase could reduce the disconnect between expectation and actual experience, and innovative cheese products may be developed to better fulfill important choice motives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hao Ouyang
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, P61 C996, Fermoy, Ireland; School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, T12 K8AF, Cork, Ireland
| | - Bozhao Li
- School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, T12 K8AF, Cork, Ireland
| | - Mary McCarthy
- Cork University Business School, University College Cork, T12 K8AF, Cork, Ireland
| | - Song Miao
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, P61 C996, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Kieran Kilcawley
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, P61 C996, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Mark Fenelon
- Teagasc Food Research Centre, Moorepark, P61 C996, Fermoy, Ireland
| | - Alan Kelly
- School of Food and Nutritional Sciences, University College Cork, T12 K8AF, Cork, Ireland
| | | |
Collapse
|
8
|
Zeng T, Tompary A, Schapiro AC, Thompson-Schill SL. Tracking the relation between gist and item memory over the course of long-term memory consolidation. eLife 2021; 10:e65588. [PMID: 34259626 PMCID: PMC8328519 DOI: 10.7554/elife.65588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2020] [Accepted: 07/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Our experiences in the world support memories not only of specific episodes but also of the generalities (the 'gist') across related experiences. It remains unclear how these two types of memories evolve and influence one another over time. In two experiments, 173 human participants encoded spatial locations from a distribution and reported both item memory (specific locations) and gist memory (center for the locations) across 1-2 months. Experiment 1 demonstrated that after 1 month, gist memory was preserved relative to item memory, despite a persistent positive correlation between them. Critically, item memories were biased toward the gist over time. Experiment 2 showed that a spatial outlier item changed this relationship and that the extraction of gist is sensitive to the regularities of items. Our results suggest that the gist starts to guide item memories over longer durations as their relative strengths change.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tima Zeng
- Department of Psychology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Alexa Tompary
- Department of Psychology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | - Anna C Schapiro
- Department of Psychology, University of PennsylvaniaPhiladelphiaUnited States
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Tompary A, Zhou W, Davachi L. Schematic memories develop quickly, but are not expressed unless necessary. Sci Rep 2020; 10:16968. [PMID: 33046766 PMCID: PMC7550328 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-73952-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 09/21/2020] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Episodic memory retrieval is increasingly influenced by schematic information as memories mature, but it is unclear whether this is due to the slow formation of schemas over time, or the slow forgetting of the episodes. To address this, we separately probed memory for newly learned schemas as well as their influence on episodic memory decisions. In this experiment, participants encoded images from two categories, with the location of images in each category drawn from a different spatial distribution. They could thus learn schemas of category locations by encoding specific episodes. We found that images that were more consistent with these distributions were more precisely retrieved, and this schematic influence increased over time. However, memory for the schema distribution, measured using generalization to novel images, also became less precise over time. This incongruity suggests that schemas form rapidly, but their influence on episodic retrieval is dictated by the need to bolster fading memory representations.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexa Tompary
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - WenXi Zhou
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY, 10003, USA
| | - Lila Davachi
- Department of Psychology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
- Nathan Kline Institute for Psychiatric Research, Orangeburg, NY, 10962, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Wang L, Zuo S, Cai Y, Zhang B, Wang H, Zhou YD, Kwok SC. Fallacious reversal of event-order during recall reveals memory reconstruction in rhesus monkeys. Behav Brain Res 2020; 394:112830. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2020.112830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2020] [Revised: 06/17/2020] [Accepted: 07/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
|
11
|
Berens SC, Richards BA, Horner AJ. Dissociating memory accessibility and precision in forgetting. Nat Hum Behav 2020; 4:866-877. [PMID: 32514041 DOI: 10.1038/s41562-020-0888-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Forgetting involves the loss of information over time; however, we know little about what form this information loss takes. Do memories become less precise over time, or do they instead become less accessible? Here we assessed memory for word-location associations across four days, testing whether forgetting involves losses in precision versus accessibility and whether such losses are modulated by learning a generalizable pattern. We show that forgetting involves losses in memory accessibility with no changes in memory precision. When participants learned a set of related word-location associations that conformed to a general pattern, we saw a strong trade-off; accessibility was enhanced, whereas precision was reduced. However, this trade-off did not appear to be modulated by time or confer a long-term increase in the total amount of information maintained in memory. Our results place theoretical constraints on how models of forgetting and generalization account for time-dependent memory processes. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION: The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 4 June 2019. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.4368464.v1 .
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sam C Berens
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK. .,School of Psychology, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK.
| | - Blake A Richards
- Mila, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.,Learning in Machines and Brains Program, Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Aidan J Horner
- Department of Psychology, University of York, York, UK. .,York Biomedical Research Institute, University of York, York, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
van Kesteren MTR, Meeter M. How to optimize knowledge construction in the brain. NPJ SCIENCE OF LEARNING 2020; 5:5. [PMID: 32655882 PMCID: PMC7339924 DOI: 10.1038/s41539-020-0064-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2019] [Accepted: 03/20/2020] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Well-structured knowledge allows us to quickly understand the world around us and make informed decisions to adequately control behavior. Knowledge structures, or schemas, are presumed to aid memory encoding and consolidation of new experiences so we cannot only remember the past, but also guide behavior in the present and predict the future. However, very strong schemas can also lead to unwanted side effects such as false memories and misconceptions. To overcome this overreliance on a schema, we should aim to create robust schemas that are on the one hand strong enough to help to remember and predict, but also malleable enough to avoid such undesirable side effects. This raises the question as to whether there are ways to deliberately influence knowledge construction processes, with the goal to reach such optimally balanced schemas. Here, we will discuss how the mnemonic processes in our brains build long-term knowledge and, more specifically, how different phases of memory formation (encoding, consolidation, retrieval, and reconsolidation) contribute to this schema build-up. We finally provide ways how to best keep a balance between generalized semantic and detailed episodic memories, which can prove very useful in, e.g., educational settings.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marlieke Tina Renée van Kesteren
- Section of Education Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- Institute of Brain and Behavior Amsterdam, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- LEARN! Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Martijn Meeter
- Section of Education Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- LEARN! Research Institute, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|