Effects of Auditory Distraction on Face Memory

Abstract

Effects of auditory distraction by task-irrelevant background speech on the immediate serial recall of verbal material are well established. Less is known about the influence of background speech on memory for visual configural information. A recent study demonstrated that face learning is disrupted by joyful music relative to soothing violin music and quiet. This pattern is parallel to findings in the serial-recall paradigm showing that auditory distraction is primarily caused by auditory changes. Here we connect these two streams of research by testing whether face learning is impaired by irrelevant speech. Participants learned faces either in quiet or while ignoring auditory changing-state sequences (sentential speech) or steady-state sequences (word repetitions). Face recognition was impaired by irrelevant speech relative to quiet. Furthermore, changing-state speech disrupted performance more than steady-state speech. The results were replicated in a second study using reversed speech, suggesting that the disruptive potential of the background speech does not depend on its semantic content. These findings thus demonstrate robust effects of auditory distraction on face learning. Theoretical explanations and applied implications are discussed.

The effect of misophonia on cognitive and social judgments

“…More generally, faces paired with high discomfort sounds were remembered worse than faces paired with low discomfort sounds, but this effect again did not differ between the misophonia and control groups. In general, faces learned during Quiet were remembered the best, in line with prior work showing auditory distraction in general affects memory performance [24]. This pattern was also present in sound memory: regardless of misophonia, participants had a lower hit rate at reporting Oral sounds compared to all other categories, and a lower hit rate at high discomfort sounds versus low discomfort sounds.…”

“…In addition to visual information, complex auditory distraction during learning has also been shown to alter performance. Compared to faces presented with steady-state sequences, faces presented with changing-state sequences are remembered less often in a subsequent memory task, and both types of auditory distraction impair face memory relative to quiet [ 24 ]. Can we impact trait ratings or memory performance by pairing faces with triggering or non-triggering sounds?…”

The effect of mood on shaping belief and recollection following false feedback

“…Misleading feedback has been shown to signi cantly distort event recollections, resulting in testimonial inaccuracies (Douglass et Wright et al, 2000). Furthermore, the mood of a witness has been found to substantially in uence cognitive processes, including memory, thereby impacting the reliability of testimonies (Bell et al, 2019;Chai & Wu, 2022;Clausi et al, 2017;Fartoukh et al, 2014;Karjalainen, 2006). With this understanding of the intimate link between mood, memory, and the accuracy of testimonies, the current experiment aimed to examine the impact of positive and negative moods on testimony accuracy following false social feedback.…”