INMI Symposium DiscussionINMI Symposium DiscussionICMPC 2012ICMPC 2012

Andrea Halpern

Bucknell UniversityBucknell University

Pennsylvania, USA

INMI and MemoryINMI and Memory

Similarities to “Flashbulb Memories”Similarities to “Flashbulb Memories”

� Generate…

� Vivid

� Autobiographical

� Extend in time

� Affective component� Affective component

� Social aspects ◦ Memories include others

◦ Discussed with others

� Compelling memory experience

DissimilarDissimilar

INMI

� End cues beginning

� Many and variable

◦ Across and within people

Flashbulbs

� Single retrieval

� Limited number

◦ Shared in a culture ◦ Across and within people

� Triggers variable

� By and large pleasant

◦ Shared in a culture

� Distinctive trigger

� Associated with trauma

Less Well Understood…Less Well Understood…

Incidence Rate?Incidence Rate?� Most report high incidence� Halpern & Bartlett (2011)◦ 41 diarists over 2 weeks � 780 reports◦ Range = 2-57◦ Median = 1.7 per day

� But do methods select for respondents and � But do methods select for respondents and reports?

� Embed in other tasks to reduce salience and social desirability

\

Verification?Verification?

� Difficult to verify

� Voluntary imagery◦ Control stimuli

◦ Objective task� Does third note of Happy Birthday rise or fall?� Does third note of Happy Birthday rise or fall?

� Need correlates with INMI

� Need to induce. How?◦ Idiosyncratic, but…

◦ Exposure

◦ Musical characteristics

Possible Correlates?Possible Correlates?� Behavioral

◦ Effect on a second task

◦ Continuous measurement

� Physiological

◦◦ Neural or peripheral

◦ Neural correlates of voluntary imagery

◦ Indices of repetition crucial

� Long time spans will be a challenge

Veridical?Veridical?� Rubin & Talarico (Psychological Sci, 2003)

� FBs no more accurate or durable than other memories◦ Conflicts in memories among participants

� How to measure veridicality in INMI?

� External pitch or tempo measure

� Consistency over repetitions

� Congruence with recorded version� Congruence with recorded version

◦ Even NMs can match to recordings and be somewhat consistent over time

◦ Production or choose pitch/tempo

Unique to Music?Unique to Music?� Other temporally extended memories

◦ Verbal or experiential

� H&B (2012)

◦ 9/20 surveyed reported word earworms

� But only a few diary entries

◦ Did not repeat

◦ Sayings, movie quotes, cheer, advertisement

◦ None unpleasant

� Design survey/diary to elicit these

Relationship to Pathology?Relationship to Pathology?� Hallucinations vs. imagery

� Possible intermediate states◦ Relation to aural and psychological issues

� Important to distinguish wanted from unwanted

For latter, behavioral and pharmacological � For latter, behavioral and pharmacological intervention◦ Yellow Submarine #2: “This song is starting to annoy me and I

think I should memorize more words of it”.

◦ #4: “I like the song but I don't know the lyrics and it keeps appearing in my head.”

Age and Cohort?Age and Cohort?

� Priming

◦ Can increase with age

◦ Decline of inhibition

◦ So possible increase with age?◦ So possible increase with age?

� Cohort/Generation

◦ Continuous vs. periodic exposure to music

Thank You!Thank You!