Horner, Aidan James orcid.org/0000-0003-0882-9756, Bisby, J. A., Wang, A et al. (2 more authors) (2016) The role of spatial boundaries in shaping long-term event representations. Cognition. pp. 151-164. ISSN 0010-0277
Abstract
When remembering the past, we typically recall ‘events’ that are bounded in time and space. However, as we navigate our environment our senses receive a continuous stream of information. How do we create discrete long-term episodic memories from continuous input? Although previous research has provided evidence for a role of spatial boundaries in the online segmentation of our sensory experience within working memory, it is not known how this segmentation contributes to subsequent long-term episodic memory. Here we show that the presence of a spatial boundary at encoding (a doorway between two rooms) impairs participants’ later ability to remember the order that objects were presented in. A sequence of two objects presented in the same room in a virtual reality environment is more accurately remembered than a sequence of two objects presented in adjoining rooms. The results are captured by a simple model in which items are associated to a context representation that changes gradually over time, and changes more rapidly when crossing a spatial boundary. We therefore provide the first evidence that the structure of long-term episodic memory is shaped by the presence of a spatial boundary and provide constraints on the nature of the interaction between working memory and long-term memory.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. |
Keywords: | Computational modelling,Episodic memory,Event segmentation,Spatial memory,Virtual reality |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Psychology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 14 Jun 2016 10:08 |
Last Modified: | 21 Jan 2025 17:21 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cognition.2016.05.013 |
Status: | Published |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1016/j.cognition.2016.05.013 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:100888 |