List Memory and Change-Detection Memory in Animals

Synonyms

Memory for changes in pictures and displays; Memory for serially presented lists; Serial probe recognition memory

Definition

Memory is recollection of past events, remembering facts, skill performance, and learning; memory cannot occur without learning and learning cannot occur without memory.

List memory is memory for a (sequentially presented) series of items, like a misplaced list of foods and household items to purchase at the store.

Change-detection memory is memory for an array (simultaneously presented) of items, like a New York traffic scene where (later) one item changes (stop light from green to red).

Theoretical Background

List memory. Studies of animal list memory have followed those of human list memory. Typical graphs of list-memory results show how memory changes for each position in the list – a serial position function. Often, memory is best at the beginning (primacy effect) and at the end (recency effect) of lists – a U-shaped serial position function. Many...