Event Memory Uniquely Predicts Memory for Large-scale Space

Overview

Journal Mem Cognit

Specialty Psychology

Date 2018 Sep 20

PMID 30229479

Citations 2

Authors

Jesse Q Sargent

Jeffrey M Zacks

David Z Hambrick

Nan Lin

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

When a person explores a new environment, they begin to construct a spatial representation of it. Doing so is important for navigating and remaining oriented. How does one's ability to learn a new environment relate to one's ability to remember experiences in that environment? Here, 208 adults experienced a first-person videotaped route, and then completed a spatial map construction task. They also took tests of general cognitive abilities (working memory, laboratory episodic memory, processing speed, general knowledge) and of memory for familiar, everyday activities (event memory). Regression analyses revealed that event memory (memory for everyday events and their temporal structure), laboratory episodic memory (memory for words and pictures) and gender were unique predictors of spatial memory. These results implicate the processing of temporal structure and organization as an important cognitive ability in large-scale spatial-memory-from-route experience. Accounting for the temporal structure of people's experience while learning the layout of novel spaces may improve interventions for addressing navigation problems.

Citing Articles

No evidence for chunking in spatial memory of route experience.

Sargent J, Richmond L, Kellis D, Smith M, Zacks J J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2023; 50(7):1013-1034.

PMID: 38095956 PMC: 11822856. DOI: 10.1037/xlm0001317.

Exploring the Spatial Relationships Between Real and Virtual Experiences: What Transfers and What Doesn't.

Clemenson G, Wang L, Mao Z, Stark S, Stark C Front Virtual Real. 2023; 1.

PMID: 37885756 PMC: 10602022. DOI: 10.3389/frvir.2020.572122.

A meta-analysis of sex differences in human navigation skills.

Nazareth A, Huang X, Voyer D, Newcombe N Psychon Bull Rev. 2019; 26(5):1503-1528.

PMID: 31270765 DOI: 10.3758/s13423-019-01633-6.

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