Experiment 1 demonstrated that the memory for image contrast decays over time.
However, emotional content of pictures typically captures attention more readily than neutral content (e.g., Calvo & Lang, 2005; Kensinger & Schacter, 2007), so that, even when rating size, it is likely that attention was more often captured by emotionally negative perceptual details that could help in distinguishing between memories for images and actually viewed pictures.
In addition, compared to smaller images, larger images on a web interface enhance user memory performance for images.
Post hoc t-test across contexts and Rcorr/Fcorr showed a significantly higher memory performance for images that followed the higher of two possible rewards compared to images following the lower possible reward (T = 3.6, P < 0.005).
This revealed that reward significantly improved overall memory for novel images compared to novel not rewarded images (P = 0.036) but there was no such improvement of overall memory by reward for familiar images (P > 0.5; Fig. 2).
Interestingly, very recent evidence suggests that memory for specific images of familiar faces may be impaired relative to unfamiliar faces (Armann, Jenkins, & Burton, 2016); raising the possibility that familiarity for any face not only our own face causes difficulty in discriminating between different images of that face.
Furthermore, the enhancing effect of reward on recognition memory for novel images was equally strong for recollection and familiarity as revealed by analysis of variance (ANOVA; no interaction between reward and recognition memory type [ F 1,16) = 2.28, P > 0.15)].
After 24 h, memory for these images reflected a benefit of action as well as a congruence of action requirements and valence, namely, action for reward and inaction for avoidance.
This observation supports the idea that a hippocampal/rhinal contribution to long-term memory for novel images in Experiment II was also scaled adaptively according to an overall response to the preceding reward outcomes (observed in Experiment I).
The board has 512 MB of DDR3 RAM memory available for image storage or generation.
