A Basic Science Study on Episodic Memory Integration and Interference in Healthy Adults
Boston College
Summary
The purpose of this study is to assess how emotional memories integrate and interfere with one another over time. We will be using a multi-session experimental paradigm consisting of two encoding sessions and one retrieval session. Participants will either complete these sessions online or in-person, with the latter collecting functional magnetic resonance imaging during the two encoding sessions.
Description
After being informed about the study, all participants giving written informed consent will complete three experimental sessions. On Day 1, participants will encode AB neutral word pairs (e.g., Pencil - Car) shown alongside positive, negative, or neutral images. Participants will also rate the images on valence and arousal. After encoding all stimuli, participants will immediately complete a retrieval task, during which they will be presented with the cue word (A; e.g., Pencil) and asked to recall the corresponding associate (B, e.g., Car). If incorrect, the correct word pair will be shown bef…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–39 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Yes
Inclusion Criteria: 1. All participants: willing and able to follow the protocol 2. All participants: fluent in English 3. Online participants: online account in the crowdsourcing platform that will be used (e.g., Prolific) Exclusion Criteria: 1. All participants: history of a psychiatric or neurological condition, and/or current psychotropic drug use (indicated by the participant) 2. fMRI participants: pregnant, metal in body (incl piercings or metallic makeup if unwilling to remove), unable to lie still for duration of scan (e.g., due to pain), Meniere's disease, claustrophobic, or other…
Interventions
- Otheremotional context similarity
On Day 1, all participants will encode AB neutral word pairs (e.g., Pencil - Car) shown with positive, negative, or neutral images. On Day 2, all participants will encode AC neutral words pairs (e.g., Pencil - Book) alongside images of either the same or different valence. The emotional similarity of AB (Day 1) and AC (Day 2) image contexts (i.e., the independent variable) will consist of the following conditions: positive-positive, positive-negative, negative-negative, negative-positive, neutral-neutral, neutral-positive, and neutral-negative.
Location
- Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, Massachusetts