Adaptive memory: Survival processing enhances retention Nairne, J., Thompson, S., & Pandeirada, J. (2007). Adaptive memory: Survival processing enhances retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2), doi: / Summary by: Kyra Paliobagis, Herlinda Sandoval, and Leyla Zerehi

Video Surviving on a deserted island Z0 Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2),

Introduction The researchers investigated the idea that memory systems might have evolved to help us remember fitness-relevant information— specifically, information relevant to survival. Hypothesis: Participants will recall words that are survival related more than words that are non survival related. Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2),

Method Participants college students Materials - Four lists of 8 words that were related to one another. Procedure - Participants were placed into one of three rating scenarios and were given 36 unrelated words that they would rate for importance depending on the relevance to the scenario. The scenarios were survival, moving, and pleasantness. They were asked to recall in order what they had rated each word. Lastly, participants were surprised with a free recall test of the words they had rated. They had 10 minutes to recall the words in any order. Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2),

Results Participants were more likely to recall words that were associated with survival. Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2),

Results Processing items in terms of their ultimate survival value enhances later retention. Processing for survival yields a retention advantage compared with moving and pleasantness conditions. – High vs. low survival relevance Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2),

Discussion Findings suggest that memory systems are “tuned” to remember information that is processed for fitness, perhaps as a result of survival advantages in our ancestral past. From a fitness perspective, not all stimuli are created equal Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2),

Critical Review Objections 1.Effort is typically a poor determinant of retention 2. Cite “yes vs. no retention” 3. Discuss evolution/adaptat ions as difficult to identify Interesting Points 1. Memory functioning is content dependent. 2. Our memory systems may be biased to help us remember information in a survival context. 3. Many survival situations induce emotional arousal, thereby increasing the chances that fitness-relevant information will be remembered. Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2),

Test Questions M/C 1.The __, __ groups were found to have no significant difference in recall performance. a) survival; moving b) moving; pleasantness c) pleasant; survival d) none of the above 2. ____ processing has better retention in recall/recognition tasks a) Semantic b) Episodic 3. An example of fitness content is a)Mate selection b) Cheater detection c) Identify predators d) all of the above True/False 4. Retention is sensitive to the content of information 5. Memory systems in humans are evolved to remember information that’s processed for pleasantness. 6. Mnemonics are learning techniques that aid memory Nairne, J. S., Thompson, S. R., & Pandeirada, J. N. (2007). Adaptive Memory: Survival Processing Enhances Retention. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory, and Cognition, 33(2),