Updating processes in episodic memory [Elektronische Ressource] / vorgelegt von Bernhard Pastötter

Updating Processes in Episodic MemoryInaugural-Dissertation zur Erlangung der Doktorwur¨ deder Philosophischen Fakult¨at II(Psychologie, P¨adagogik und Sportwissenschaft)der Universit¨at Regensburgvorgelegt von¨Bernhard Pastotteraus FreilassingRegensburg 2007Erstgutachter: Prof. Dr. Karl-Heinz Ba¨umlZweitgutachter: Prof. Dr. Mark W. GreenleeiiAbstractThe efficient use of episodic memory does not only require to remember newinformation, it also requires to forget old information. That such memoryupdatingispartofourmemorysystemissuggestedbybehavioralstudiesex-aminingbothcontextualandintentionalmemoryupdating. Theelectrophys-iological correlates of episodic memory updating, however, still remain elu-sive. Toinvestigateepisodicmemoryupdating,thecontext-changeparadigmand the directed-forgetting paradigm can be used. In the directed-forgettingparadigm, subjects are cued to intentionally forget a previously learned itemlist and to learn a new list of items instead. In the context-change paradigm,subjects are cued to change their internal context between the learning oftwo lists. Both forms of cuing typically lead to forgetting of the first list andto memory enhancement of the second. The standard explanation of theseeffects is that forgetting and enhancement are mediated by a single mech-anism: context differentiation in contextual memory updating and retrievalinhibition in intentional memory updating.