Appraising the contributions of visual imagery and verbal ability in facilitating the survival processing memory advantage.
Citation
(2016) Appraising the contributions of visual imagery and verbal ability in facilitating the survival processing memory advantage., no. 46.
Abstract
The current study explored the mnemonic survival processing advantage in order to asses the
extent to which visual imagery and verbal ability influence our information processing
faculties. One hundred participants took part in an auxiliary memory test after rating items in
one of four processing conditions (Grasslands; Scottish highlands; QMU/threatening; and
QMU/non-threatening). Post-test measures relating to the rating task were also taken. Results
suggested that both non-QMU scenarios were associated with superior rates of recall. The
data indicated that neither schematic familiarity nor survival threat significantly influenced
recall performance. Differences between the QMU and non-QMU processing scenarios
suggest that the mnemonic advantage often observed in survival relevant processing
scenarios are more profound than a simple response mechanism to existential threat. The data
is used to explore the potential proximations between underlying mechanisms and the
processing advantage.