Proactive Interference and Relational Memory: the Role of Memory-Guided Attention

Authors: Ella Merritt, Carly Elfenbein, Austin Kane, Michael Dulas

Field of Study: Integrative Neuroscience

Faculty Mentors: Michael Dulas

Easel: 15

Timeslot: Midday

Abstract: Proactive interference refers to previously learned information impairing the ability to remember new information. One theory suggests that interfering information comes swiftly to mind, “capturing” attention, and new information is minimally considered. Here, eye-tracking was used to evaluate whether proactive interference results in attentional capture in relational memory. Participants studied objects, each paired with two faces across study blocks, and were tasked with remembering the last face each object was paired with. Interference was manipulated by the frequency of target-object versus lure-object pairings. Relational memory, but not item memory, was significantly impaired by increasing interference. Eye-tracking data revealed that correct trials had fast preferential viewing of the target face, regardless of the interference condition. Further, viewing of the lure on incorrect trials was slower and weaker, counter to the theory of capture. These data suggest that successful relational interference does not result in capture, but rather poorer automatic relational retrieval.