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Theta oscillations predict the detrimental effects of memory retrieval

  • Retrieving a target item from episodic memory typically enhances later memory for the retrieved item but causes forgetting of competing irrelevant memories. This finding is termed retrieval-induced forgetting (RIF) and is assumed to be the consequence of an inhibitory mechanism resolving retrieval competition. In the present study, we examined brain oscillatory processes related to RIF, as induced by competitive memory retrieval. Contrasting a competitive with a noncompetitive retrieval condition, we found a stronger increase in early evoked theta (4–7 Hz) activity, which specifically predicted RIF, but not retrieval-induced enhancement. Within the cognitive framework of RIF, these findings suggest that theta oscillations reflect arising interference and its resolution during competitive retrieval in episodic memory.

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Author:Simon Hanslmayr, Tobias Staudigl, Alp AslanORCiD, Karl-Heinz Bäuml
URL:https://doi.org/10.3758/CABN.10.3.329
Parent Title (English):Cognitive, Affective, & Behavioral Neuroscience
Document Type:Article (peer reviewed)
Language:English
Publication Year:2010
Tag:Competitive Condition; Electrode Site; Memory Retrieval; Retrieval Practice; Theta Power
Volume:10
Issue:3
First Page:329
Last Page:338
Peer reviewed:Ja