Recall, Recognition, and Rate: Memory and the Heart

Heart rate (HR) changes during recall and recognition tasks were related to memory load and performance. Current hypotheses imply that heart rate acceleration may indicate the processing of stored information, and, thus relate to task performance. Twenty volunteers performed a recognition task with memory set size varying between five and ten items. The task was divided into input, retain, and test periods. Eight volunteers performed a recall task which was identical except for the form of the memory test. Consistent HR changes showed a deceleration prior to each task period which was followed by acceleration. HR was not influenced by memory load, but did show a small but consistent relationship to performance. In both recall and recognition experiments relatively greater acceleration in the retain period was associated with more accurate memory performance. Similar but less clear effects occurred during information input. In this period degree of deceleration also appeared related to recognition performance. Results were related to previous concepts of HR and attention rather than processes specific to memory.