Saccade-induced retrieval enhancement and the recovery of perceptual item-specific information

Abstract

Saccade Induced Retrieval Enhancement (SIRE) effects refer to the finding that memory can be enhanced when a short period of saccadic eye movements takes place prior to retrieval. Previous published work testifies to this eye-movement advantage but no work has yet examined if SIRE effects can be found when retrieval demands are high as a result of testing non-studied memoranda that are identical in name/conceptual codes, similar in perceptual features, but differ in terms of perceptualitem-specific information. The results indicate SIRE effects can be found under such conditions and are independent of encoding orientation (intentional vs. incidental). More particularly, SIRE effects manifested themselves in terms of the retrieval of item-specific detail and recollection (vs familiarity). In terms of the latter, recollection but not familiarity was enhanced by eye-movements. These findings are considered in the context of extant theories of SIRE and related research that has demonstrated post-encoding and pre-retrieval influence on cognition.

Investigation of Camera-Free Eye-Tracking Glasses Compared to a Video-Based System

“…Eye movements have been widely used to probe sensorimotor and cognitive mechanisms giving us deeper insight into human behavior and information processing [ 1 , 2 ], for example, attention [ 3 , 4 , 5 ], working memory [ 6 , 7 ], decision-making [ 8 ], and learning [ 9 , 10 ]. The neural control of eye movements engages multiple brain networks, thus, eye-tracking methodologies have been used to understand development and aging [ 11 , 12 , 13 ], to help with medical diagnostics [ 14 , 15 ], and to monitor disease progression [ 16 ].…”

“…Eye-tracking methodologies have evolved greatly over time mainly due to technological and computational advances. Cognolato, Atzori, and Müller (2018) outlined seven different eye-tracking methods: (1) electrooculogram (EOG), (2) electromagnetic methods (i.e., scleral search coils), (3) contact lenses, (4) limbus/iris-sclera boundary video-oculography, (5) pupil video-oculography, (6) pupil and corneal reflections videooculography, and (7) dual Purkinje image corneal reflection video-oculography (see [24] for a complete review of each technique). EOG and search coils are two camera-free eyetracking approaches currently available.…”

Do your eyes protect your memory?

“…Previous research found that performing horizontal eye movements enhances episodic memory, an effect that was dubbed saccade-induced retrieval enhancement (SIRE; Christman et al, 2003;Lyle & Martin, 2010;Lyle & Edlin, 2015). The SIRE effect results in an increase in hit rates and a decrease in false alarm rates (i.e., false memories) in, for example, word lists (Nieuwenhuis et al, 2013) or pictures (Parker, Poole, & Dagnall, 2020). The SIRE effect drew upon the idea of interhemispheric interaction as a possible explanation for the effect of eye movements as used in EMDR (Christman et al, 2003).…”