Self-Reported Attention During Changes is Associated with Episodic Memory Updating

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Everyday changes require updating episodic memories to remember recent information. Attending to changes can promote updating but can also lead to interference. The present study used an experimental and individual differences approach to characterize associations between attention to original and changed features, and memory updating. Participants studied pairs with responses that changed from the first (A-B) to second (A-D) presentation and reported their attention after each pair. Participants then completed a test of both responses and if responses changed. Attention varied across participants and decreased over time. On-task reports after A-D pairs, signaling attention, were associated with recall of D responses when participants were on task during B responses in between- and within-subject analyses, and off task during B responses only in within-subject analysis. These and other associations herein are compatible with views proposing that recent memories benefit from integrating or differentiating the past and present.