Psychology
Memory on Ice: Retrograde Ehancement of Thematic Information
Document Type
Oral Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Psychology
Start Date
11-4-2014 2:30 PM
End Date
11-4-2014 4:30 PM
Sponsor
John Bohannon III (Butler University)
Description
Progesterone and estrogen, hormones known to affect memory, fluctuate across a female's ovulatory cycle. These fluctuating hormone levels have been associated with activity in central memory structures: the hippocampus and the amygdala (Andreano & Cahill 2010). Physical stressors, such as a two-minute cold pressor stress (CPS), can also lead to heightened memory (Andreano & Cahill 2006). The heightened memory can be measured by the release of cortisol in response to stress (Diamond et al. 2007). Puga & Bohannon (2013) found that participants who were exposed to a slideshow including horrible emergency room photos had heightened memory for neutral, pre-critical slides. The results are explained by the evolutionary mechanism that predicts threat preceding the critical manipulation. Seventy-four participants viewed a slide show, immersing their arm in a warm or ice water bath during TBR slides. A three-way interaction between stress, theme and slide order showed greater recall for pre-critical thematic items and post-critical athematic slides in the ice water condition (F=3.39). Ovarian hormones had no effect.
Memory on Ice: Retrograde Ehancement of Thematic Information
Indianapolis, IN
Progesterone and estrogen, hormones known to affect memory, fluctuate across a female's ovulatory cycle. These fluctuating hormone levels have been associated with activity in central memory structures: the hippocampus and the amygdala (Andreano & Cahill 2010). Physical stressors, such as a two-minute cold pressor stress (CPS), can also lead to heightened memory (Andreano & Cahill 2006). The heightened memory can be measured by the release of cortisol in response to stress (Diamond et al. 2007). Puga & Bohannon (2013) found that participants who were exposed to a slideshow including horrible emergency room photos had heightened memory for neutral, pre-critical slides. The results are explained by the evolutionary mechanism that predicts threat preceding the critical manipulation. Seventy-four participants viewed a slide show, immersing their arm in a warm or ice water bath during TBR slides. A three-way interaction between stress, theme and slide order showed greater recall for pre-critical thematic items and post-critical athematic slides in the ice water condition (F=3.39). Ovarian hormones had no effect.