Brief Wakeful Resting Boosts New Memories Over the Long Term

Abstract

A brief wakeful rest after new verbal learning enhances memory for several minutes. In the research reported here, we explored the possibility of extending this rest-induced memory enhancement over much longer periods. Participants were presented with two stories; one story was followed by a 10-min period of wakeful resting, and the other was followed by a 10-min period during which participants played a spot-the-difference game. In Experiment 1, wakeful resting led to significant enhancement of memory after a 15- to 30-min period and also after 7 days. In experiment 2, this striking enhancement of memory 7 days after learning was demonstrated even when no retrievals were imposed in the interim. The degree to which people can remember prose after 7 days is significantly affected by the cognitive activity that they engage in shortly after new learning takes place. We propose that wakeful resting after new learning allows new memory traces to be consolidated better and hence to be retained for much longer.

Wakeful rest alleviates interference-based forgetting

“…Placing individuals within an environment that postpones RI does seem to have a positive effect on retention. These findings support Dewar, Alber et al (2012), who found a beneficial effect of wakeful rest in normally aging adults, along with some of the earliest experiments examining the temporal gradient of RI (Landauer, 1974;Müller & Pilzecker, 1900;Skaggs, 1925;Spencer, 1924). Given Dewar, Alber et al's sample, there was concern that rest might only help those who are already more vulnerable to forgetting, but the present data dispel this suggestion and show that wakeful rest lessens forgetting in younger adults too.…”

“…This may be more evident when there is a degree of overlap between the memory and distractor tasks - In summary, whilst Dewar, Alber et al (2012) found that resting had a prolonged positive influence on retention, Dewar et al's (2009) data showed that brief phases of rest did not preserve retention rates in participants with intact memory. Studies investigating the temporal gradient of RI during the early twentieth century were mixed, and other recent literature examining wakeful rest and minimal RI has primarily focussed on patients with amnesia and other forms of cognitive impairment (e.g.…”

“…Wakeful rest alleviates forgetting 8 Dewar, Alber et al's (2012) data suggest a brief, interference-free period of wakeful rest does protect memories from subsequent RI. This is a fascinating discovery since it offers a simple, effective technique for diminishing forgetting.…”

“…The lights were dimmed and participants were asked to rest quietly (see Dewar, Alber et al, 2012). They were encouraged to close their eyes and place their head on the desk.…”

“…The distractor tasks used by Dewar, Alber et al (2012) required participants to identify differences between pairs of pictures, hence the memory and distractor task were quite distinct. Whilst Dewar et al (2007) have shown that any form of distractor task can disrupt recall, such dissimilar distractors are predicted to have a very mild effect on retention in neurologically intact humans .…”