Contribution of Familiarity and Recollection to Associative Recognition Memory

Bertram Opitz, CNS 2005 memory meeting

Contribution of Familiarity and Recollection to Associative

Recognition Memory

Bertram OpitzExperimental Neuropsychology Unit, Saarland University


Dual-Process Models of Recognition Memory

FamiliarityFamiliarityunsubstantiated impression that an event was experienced previously without recalling its spatio-temporal contextfast assessment of global similarity between the item and stored memory representations

RecollectionRecollection slow, consciously controlled retrieval of detailed information, binding an item to a specific spatio-temporal context


Dual-Process Models of Recognition Memory

FamiliarityFamiliarityunsubstantiated impression that an event was experienced previously without recalling its spatio-temporal contextfast assessment of global similarity between the item and stored memory representations

RecollectionRecollection slow, consciously controlled retrieval of detailed information, binding an item to a specific spatio-temporal context

item recognitionitem recognition

associative recognitionassociative recognition


Contribution of Familiarity to Associative Recognitionneuropsychological evidence

Material differed in the associative strength unrelatedunrelated conditioncondition: item specific encoding low associativelow associative conditioncondition: word clusters consisting of 3

words with loose semantic relations high associativehigh associative conditioncondition: word clusters consisting of

3 words with close semantic relations

Helmstaedter et al. (1997) Cortex


Contribution of Familiarity to Associative Recognition

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Helmstaedter et al. (1997) Cortex

neuropsychological evidence


Contribution of Familiarity to Associative Recognitionfunctional imaging evidence

Preston et al. (2004) Hippocampus



behavioral evidence

Yonelinas et al. (1999) Psych Bull


So far …

FamiliarityFamiliarityseems to support associative recognition judgments when the items form easy to access bound bound representations (inflexible)representations (inflexible)

RecollectionRecollection seems to support associative recognition judgments for bindings that might be flexibly rearrangendflexibly rearrangend in novel situations


Operational definitions offlexible and inflexible bindings

inflexible bindingsinflexible bindingsitems occurring frequently together in the environmente.g. hen & egg; salt & pepper rote associationsrote associations

proper relationsproper relations

flexible bindingsflexible bindings changeable in novel situations, comparisons among items e.g.size or sequential judgments


Stimuli

72 word triplets dessert – oasis – camel squirrel – nut – park

4 lists of 18 triplets each 1 associativeassociative study list 1 relationalrelational study list, items rearranged2 distractor lists at test

72 filler items


Procedure

Study Test

Task at study:relationalrelational conditioncondition: „Which word denotes the smallest object?"associative conditionassociative condition: „ Which

word does not fit in the context of the other three?"


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Associative Relational

Behavioral Results: Recognition Performance


Behavioral Results:Binding Requirements

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Associative RelationalHit Rate³


Behavioral Results:Binding Requirements

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-0- -1- -2- -3-# remembered items within triplets

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Associative predicted from hit rate Relational


1. better recognition memory for flexible bindings

2. high proportion of triplets with all items remembered

resulting from the binding requirementsbinding requirements

BUTBUT: more elaborate encoding due to different task demands in the relational as

compared to the associative condition?


familiarity contributions to associative associative recognition memoryrecognition memory will result in an early frontal old/new effect

relationsrelations should primarily be supported by recollection indexed in a late parietal old/new effect

Are both forms of binding mediated by different brain systems as reflected by a qualitatively different spatiotemporal pattern of the ERP ?


ERP Results:Associative ConditionAssociative Condition


ERP Results:Associative ConditionAssociative Condition


ERP Results:Relational ConditionRelational Condition


ERP Results:Relational ConditionRelational Condition


Discussion

different processes mediate associative and relational recognition memory FamiliarityFamiliarity response for associativelyassociatively encoded

items RecollectiveRecollective processes support relationalrelational memory

binding requirements for the relations (parietal effect)

associations are already bound (semantic knowledge); no need to bind them (frontal effect)


Some Open Questions

Q: Are associations and relations extrems in a single continuum of more or less flexible bindings?

Q: Which brain structures are involved?


Operational definitions

relationalrelational conditioncondition:variable object-position bindings

associativeassociative (learning) condition(learning) condition:repeated joint occurrence of object-position conjunctions inflexible bindingsinflexible bindings


Procedure

associative condition:associative condition:constant positions

relational condition:relational condition:variable object-position

associations


Behavioral Results

associative conditionassociative conditionrelational conditionrelational condition

Doeller et al. (2005) Cereb Cortex


Imaging Results

Right Hippocampus (35 –22 –11)Right Hippocampus (35 –22 –11)

Relational conditionRelational condition Associative conditionAssociative condition



Imaging Results

inferior frontal gyrus & parietal lobuleinferior frontal gyrus & parietal lobule


Associative conditionAssociative condition


Discussion

relational conditionrelational condition:enduring hippocampal activity ~> recollection of flexible bindings

associative conditionassociative condition:relational representations in the initial phase, facilitated object-position bindings in a later phase~> gradual transitionprefrontal and parietal areas involved


Taken together ....

the contribution of familiarity and recollection to associative recognition memory might depend on the binding operations required

easy to access bound representationseasy to access bound representations Familiarity Prefrontal & parietal cortex, (perirhinal cortex)

flexible relational bindings flexible relational bindings Recollection Hippocampus

binding requirments probably form a continuum


Special thanks to

Sonia Cornell

Christian F. DoellerAxel Mecklinger



A Neurocognitive Model of Recognition Memory

FamiliarityFamiliarityperirhinal cortex

RecollectionRecollectionextended hippocampal diencephalic system (EHDS)

Aggleton & Brown (1999) BBSBrown & Aggleton (2001) Nat Rev Neurosci

Bertram Opitz, CNS 2005 memory meetingSimons & Spiers (2003) Nat Neurosci

A Neurocognitive Model of Recognition Memory


Influence of associational or relational encoding

independent item memories would predict, that the probability of remembering all three items of a triplet is (hit rate)³ (= measure of no associational or no relational processing)associative or relational memories could be assumed if the observed frequency of recognizing all three items of a triplet is greater than H³ h[r] > h[a] > H³


Contribution of Familiarity to Associative Recognitionfunctional imaging evidence

Preston et al. (2004) Hippocampus



receiver operating characteristics




receiver operating characteristics


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Familiarity and Item Memory

early frontal old/new effect also for missed items


Behavioral Results:Remember / Know

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ERP Group Results:

Assoziative Gruppe Relationale Gruppe


an experimental episode

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Contribution of Familiarity and Recollection to Associative Recognition Memory