适应性记忆:方位记忆的生存优势

Adaptive Memory: Enhanced Orientation Memory after Survival Processing

采用"间接学习—回忆"实验范式,考查方位记忆的生存优势及生存记忆的性别差异。在电脑屏幕上下左右4个方位随机呈现动物或食物图片,被试相对于中央点对捕获动物或采集食物的难易程度进行评价,然后进行方位回忆测验。实验1和2采用2(情境:生存情境vs.比赛情境)×2(性别:男vs.女)的被试间设计,发现当狩猎动物或采集食物活动与生存相关时,图片方位回忆的正确率较大;实验3为2(情境:生存狩猎情境vs.生存采集情境)×2(性别:男vs.女)的混合设计,发现不同性别被试在两种生存情境中的图片回忆正确率存在差异。表明方位记忆具有生存优势,生存记忆存在性别差异。

Processing information according to its survival value increases its later retention, named as survival advantage of memory. Memory should be geared toward retaining information which is relevant to specific adaptive problems faced in hunting-and-gathering environments. In the meantime, division of labor typically found in hunter-gatherer tasks may have led to unique foraging-related cognitive specializations of the sexes. Such specializations might be apparent in memory for stems rated for relevance to these activities. Extrapolating from extant researches, we hypothesis that survival advantage of memory should also be manifested in a new domain （orientation memory）, and this survival memory should display gender difference. The present study included three experiments conducted with an indirect study-to-test paradigm. Participants were shown pictures of foods or animals oriented towards 4 orientations on a computer screen one by one. Food pictures was 28 pieces and animal pictures was 28 pieces. All pictures are 80×80 pixels, and they were 280 pixel away from the center of screen. The task was to rate the ease of collecting the foods or capturing the animals relative to a central fixation point in different scenarios. After a distraction task, unexpected recall tests to orientation memory of pictures followed. In Experiment 1, we employed a 2（scenario： survival hunt vs. contest hunt） ×2（gender： males vs. females） between-subjects design. Participants rated the ease of capturing the animals in different scenarios. We investigated whether survival processing enhances memory for animals’ orientation. In Experiment 2, we employed a 2（scenario： survival gather vs. contest gather） ×2（gender： males vs. females） between-subjects design. Participants rated the ease of collecting foods and completed the same procedure as Experiment 1. In Experiment 3, we applied 2（survival scenario： gather vs. hunt） ×2（gender： males vs. females） mixed experiment design. Participants completed tasks in both survival gathering and hunting scenarios. We checked whether performances of both males and females subjects would show difference in different survival tasks. Recall accuracy and ratings of ease acquired through computer were used as behavioral measures. In Experiment 1, participants were more likely to remember the orientations of animals in survival hunt scenario, F （1, 52） = 12.43, p 〈 .001. But neither the main effect of sex nor the interactions approached significance. Compared with males, females thought hunt was more difficult, F （1, 52） = 12.52, p 〈 .001. In Experiment 2, Participants remembered the orientations of foods better in survival gather scenario, F （1, 52） = 8.81, p 〈 .05. But neither the main effect of sex nor the interactions approached significance. There is no significant difference in rating data. In Experiment 3, neither the main effect of scenario nor main effect of gender approached significance in recall tests. There was a significant interaction between gender and scenario, F （1, 22） = 6.72, p 〈 .05. Males remembered orientations of pictures significant better in survival hunt scenario than survival gather scenario, F （1, 22） = 5.28, p 〈 .05. Participants all felt hunting animals was more difficult than gathering foods, F （1, 22） = 19.28, p 〈 .001. The results extend the generalizability of survival processing advantages to a new domain （orientation memory）, and revealed gender difference in survival memory.