Abstract:
The current study examines the interaction between time and memory, specifically how a rhythmically structured context influences the memorability of visual stimuli and whether memorability of an image modulates perceived duration. This was achieved through a multi-part study split into two behavioral experiments, the first of which uses a temporal bisection task to evaluate whether images with varying levels of memorability modify how long they are perceived to appear for. Using the same images, the second experiment utilizes a recognition memory test paradigm to measure whether temporal expectancy can improve memory performance. Previous research on time and memory shows that rhythmic priming created through temporal expectancy enhances visual recognition processing and that the memorability of an image is measurable and predicable based on certain properties (such as atypicality or valence). The results of my research support these ideas, as I found that participants perceived images with higher memorability scores as appearing for longer durations. Additionally, despite memorability, images encoded in a structured temporal context resulted in higher accuracy and better recognition memory performance. An expansion of these findings in future research will help us understand the cognitive processes behind these phenomena and how they might interact and be manipulated to modulate time perception and memory.
