The role of spatial boundaries in shaping long-term event representations.
When remembering the past, we typically recall 'events' that are bounded in time and space. However, as we navigate our environment our senses receive a continuous stream of information. How do we create discrete long-term episodic memories from continuous input? Although previous research has provided evidence for a role of spatial boundaries in the online segmentation of our sensory experience within working memory, it is not known how this segmentation contributes to subsequent long-term episodic memory. Here we show that the presence of a spatial boundary at encoding (a doorway between two rooms) impairs participants' later ability to remember the order that objects were presented in. A sequence of two objects presented in the same room in a virtual reality environment is more accurately remembered than a sequence of two objects presented in adjoining rooms. The results are captured by a simple model in which items are associated to a context representation that changes gradually over time, and changes more rapidly when crossing a spatial boundary. We therefore provide the first evidence that the structure of long-term episodic memory is shaped by the presence of a spatial boundary and provide constraints on the nature of the interaction between working memory and long-term memory.
UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17 Queen Sq., London WC1N 3AR, UK; UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Sq., London WC1 3BG, UK; Department of Psychology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK. Electronic address: aidan.horner@york.ac.uk.
Aidan J
AJ
Horner
UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17 Queen Sq., London WC1N 3AR, UK; UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Sq., London WC1 3BG, UK.
James A
JA
Bisby
UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17 Queen Sq., London WC1N 3AR, UK.
Aijing
A
Wang
UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17 Queen Sq., London WC1N 3AR, UK.
Katrina
K
Bogus
UCL Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, 17 Queen Sq., London WC1N 3AR, UK; UCL Institute of Neurology, Queen Sq., London WC1 3BG, UK. Electronic address: n.burgess@ucl.ac.uk.
Neil
N
Burgess
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D061212:Memory, Episodic; D057567:Memory, Long-Term; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010364:Pattern Recognition, Visual; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D013028:Space Perception; D013998:Time Perception; D055815:Young Adult
Computational modelling; Episodic memory; Event segmentation; Spatial memory; Virtual reality