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Remembering the past during new learning: the temporal dynamics of integrative encoding

Liu, Zhenghao LU ; Bramao, Ines LU orcid and Johansson, Mikael LU orcid (2022) International Conference of Cognitive Neuroscience
Abstract
Memories may integrate elements experienced in different events. For instance, meeting a woman leaving her house, and later meeting another woman entering the same house, may allow us to infer that the two women live together. Such memory representations are thought to rely on integrative encoding mechanisms, allowing us to make inferences about the world and generalize knowledge to entirely new situations. This study uses multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of electrophysiological data to elucidate the temporal dynamics of integrative encoding. We adapted the associative inference task to investigate cross- episode memory integration. Participants first learned overlapping paired associates, AB and CB pairs, that comprised a word and a... (More)
Memories may integrate elements experienced in different events. For instance, meeting a woman leaving her house, and later meeting another woman entering the same house, may allow us to infer that the two women live together. Such memory representations are thought to rely on integrative encoding mechanisms, allowing us to make inferences about the world and generalize knowledge to entirely new situations. This study uses multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of electrophysiological data to elucidate the temporal dynamics of integrative encoding. We adapted the associative inference task to investigate cross- episode memory integration. Participants first learned overlapping paired associates, AB and CB pairs, that comprised a word and a picture (a face or a bird). Memory was later tested for the AC inferred associations, and for the direct AB and CB associations. MVPA was used to measure the online reactivation of previously learnt AB memories during encoding of the CB events. Reliable reactivation of AB was observed between 1.5 and 3 s. Participants (n=29) were divided into subgroups according to their AC performance: good and poor generalizers. Interestingly, while both groups showed comparable levels of AB reactivation during CB learning, the reactivation effects were associated with different consequences. For good generalizers, reactivation was predictive of later AC inference performance, suggesting that an integrated ABC representation was formed during BC learning. This interpretation is corroborated by behavioral data showing that direct and indirect inferred associations were retrieved equally fast. Altogether, this suggests that AC inference in this group of participants was based on integrative encoding mechanisms. Conversely, for poor generalizers, the reactivation of AB was instead negatively correlated with BC retrieval performance, indicating that AB reactivation impaired BC learning. Additionally, this group of participants took longer to retrieve inferred associations than direct associations, suggesting that successful AC inference was accomplished by flexibly recombining the direct AB and CB associations during retrieval. The present study extends previous literature by revealing the temporal dynamics of memory integration and providing an account of inter-individual differences in the capacity to make inferences across distinct episodes. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to conference
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Memory integration, EEG, MVPA, integrative encoding, flexible retrieval
conference name
International Conference of Cognitive Neuroscience
conference location
Helsinki, Finland
conference dates
2022-05-18 - 2022-05-22
project
When remembering affects new learning: Temporal dynamics of memory integration revealed by EEG and machine learning techniques
Learning and remembering: The cognitive neuroscience of memory for real-world events
language
Swedish
LU publication?
yes
id
074b9c77-f99d-4855-94b2-4b965bbd862d
alternative location
https://www2.helsinki.fi/sites/default/files/atoms/files/icon2022_poster_abstracts.pdf
date added to LUP
2022-05-29 18:02:11
date last changed
2022-06-27 18:27:25
@misc{074b9c77-f99d-4855-94b2-4b965bbd862d,
  abstract     = {{Memories may integrate elements experienced in different events. For instance, meeting a woman leaving her house, and later meeting another woman entering the same house, may allow us to infer that the two women live together. Such memory representations are thought to rely on integrative encoding mechanisms, allowing us to make inferences about the world and generalize knowledge to entirely new situations. This study uses multivariate pattern analysis (MVPA) of electrophysiological data to elucidate the temporal dynamics of integrative encoding. We adapted the associative inference task to investigate cross- episode memory integration. Participants first learned overlapping paired associates, AB and CB pairs, that comprised a word and a picture (a face or a bird). Memory was later tested for the AC inferred associations, and for the direct AB and CB associations. MVPA was used to measure the online reactivation of previously learnt AB memories during encoding of the CB events. Reliable reactivation of AB was observed between 1.5 and 3 s. Participants (n=29) were divided into subgroups according to their AC performance: good and poor generalizers. Interestingly, while both groups showed comparable levels of AB reactivation during CB learning, the reactivation effects were associated with different consequences. For good generalizers, reactivation was predictive of later AC inference performance, suggesting that an integrated ABC representation was formed during BC learning. This interpretation is corroborated by behavioral data showing that direct and indirect inferred associations were retrieved equally fast. Altogether, this suggests that AC inference in this group of participants was based on integrative encoding mechanisms. Conversely, for poor generalizers, the reactivation of AB was instead negatively correlated with BC retrieval performance, indicating that AB reactivation impaired BC learning. Additionally, this group of participants took longer to retrieve inferred associations than direct associations, suggesting that successful AC inference was accomplished by flexibly recombining the direct AB and CB associations during retrieval. The present study extends previous literature by revealing the temporal dynamics of memory integration and providing an account of inter-individual differences in the capacity to make inferences across distinct episodes.}},
  author       = {{Liu, Zhenghao and Bramao, Ines and Johansson, Mikael}},
  keywords     = {{Memory integration; EEG; MVPA; integrative encoding; flexible retrieval}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  title        = {{Remembering the past during new learning: the temporal dynamics of integrative encoding}},
  url          = {{https://www2.helsinki.fi/sites/default/files/atoms/files/icon2022_poster_abstracts.pdf}},
  year         = {{2022}},
}