Active control modulates memory-related activity during encoding and encoding-retrieval similarity
Self-directed learning allows learners to actively control their learning experience and has been shown to enhance memory compared with matched yoked learning. However, it remains unclear when and how active control modulates memory-related neural activity during learning and retrieval. We recorded electroencephalography (EEG) while participants encoded objects under active and yoked learning…
An active approach to learning can enhance memory by better modulating neural activity during both encoding and later retrieval, according to a study tracking brain patterns while participants learned and remembered objects. Participants encoded items under either active learning conditions or yoked conditions, where learning experiences were matched but participants had no control.
EEG recordings captured memory-related brain activity during both phases. Earlier processing stages showed memory effects, with specific brain signals differentiating items participants later remembered from those forgotten, but these early signals were not altered by active control. However, later stages revealed a different story: active learning strengthened memory-related brain activity, particularly during the critical moments of recalling and recognizing previously learned items.
This effect was most pronounced when recalling and recognizing items, showing that active learning fosters more detailed and robust encoding representations that can be effectively reinstated during retrieval. By examining memory-related neural activity, the study corroborates the notion that active learning underpins a more constructive processing approach, where participants develop richer and more detailed memory traces that benefit from being retrieved.
Written by urgent.news from bioRxiv's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
