ABSTRACT

Adaptive memory refers to the memory advantage for information processed in a survival and/or reproduction context while metacognition involves the awareness of what we can later remember. The notion of “responsible remembering” captures how memory functions to prioritise important information that will need to be remembered and how metacognitive processes may be more precise in situations involving consequences for forgetting. In 5 experiments, we examined whether judgments of learning and judgments of importance affect recall selectivity for information with negative consequences if forgotten. We presented participants with lists of children, each with 2 foods they like, 2 foods they dislike, and 2 foods they are allergic to. When making no metacognitive judgments or making JOLs for each food preference, participants best recalled foods the children liked, likely resulting from serial remembering (recalling information according to where it was presented). However, when judging the importance of remembering items, participants were strategic in their memory for the food preferences such that they best recalled information they rated as important to remember (allergies). These results suggest that when forced to consider the importance of remembering, participants engage in responsible remembering by deeming information with consequences for forgetting as most important and subsequently best remembering this information.

 抽象的

适应性记忆是指在生存和/或繁殖环境中处理信息的记忆优势，而元认知则涉及我们以后可以记住的内容的意识。 “负责任的记忆”的概念体现了记忆功能如何优先考虑需要记住的重要信息，以及元认知过程如何在涉及遗忘后果的情况下更加精确。在 5 个实验中，我们研究了学习判断和重要性判断是否会影响对遗忘后会产生负面后果的信息的回忆选择性。我们向参与者提供了一份儿童清单，每个儿童都有 2 种他们喜欢的食物、2 种他们不喜欢的食物以及 2 种他们过敏的食物。当不进行元认知判断或对每种食物偏好进行 JOL 时，参与者最好地回忆起孩子们喜欢的食物，这可能是连续记忆的结果（根据信息呈现的位置回忆信息）。然而，在判断记住项目的重要性时，参与者对食物偏好进行了策略性记忆，以便他们最好地回忆起他们认为需要记住的重要信息（过敏）。这些结果表明，当被迫考虑记忆的重要性时，参与者会通过将具有遗忘后果的信息视为最重要并随后最好地记住该信息来进行负责任的记忆。