Is Successful Retrieval Of Memory Inherently Satisfying?

Sammanfattning: Previous studies concerning the study of Curiosity have found the presence of a reward mechanism when Curiosity is satiated. This study aims to investigate whether this reward mechanism might be extrapolated to other cognitive systems, specifically that of long-term memory. The key hypothesis for this study is that correctly recalling distant memories is inherently satisfying. Additionally, the more uncertain an event is represented in memory, the more satisfying it should be to retrieve. A total of 30 participants (male = 8, female = 22, mean age = 29.9, standard deviation = 9.4) were recruited and had complete datasets. A within-subjects longitudinal design was employed. Participants were subjected to 5 sessions over a period of 7 days, performing an encoding and retrieval memory experiment hosted on Pavlovia.org with data handling through Proflic.com. Results were analyzed using advanced statistical methods including mixed-method generalized linear models and linear regression. Results show events encoded closer to the time of recall are more satisfying, a finding contrary to what was expected. A direct link between self-perceived confidence in a cognitive task and satisfaction was also observed. It is concluded that the current reward-driven theory of curiosity may need rethinking and future research should aim address this.