Reliable retrieval is intrinsically rewarding: Recency, item difficulty, study session memory, and subjective confidence predict satisfaction in word-pair recall.

ABSTRACT: The recall of a distant memory may appear satisfying and suggest successful retrieval is inherently rewarding. If the brain incentivizes retrieval attempts on the prospect of an internal retrieval reward, then the desire for that reward might natively reinforce declarative memory access. But what determines the level of retrieval satisfaction? We tested the idea that retrieval attempt uncertainty drives retrieval satisfaction. For instance, the more distant the memory, the more satisfying should it be to successfully retrieve it. Alternatively, the brain issues rewards based on the level of confidence in recall independent of the recall achievement. If so, then more confident retrieval is also more satisfying. In an online experiment containing five Swahili-English word pair study sessions

SUBMITTER: Holm L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10586604 | biostudies-literature | 2023

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature