The Sensory Nature of Episodic Memory: Sensory Priming Effects Due to Memory Trace Activation

The aim of this study was to provide evidence that memory and perceptual processing are underpinned by the same mechanisms. Specifically, the authors conducted 3 experiments that emphasized the sensory aspect of memory traces. They examined their predictions with a short-term priming paradigm based on 2 distinct phases: a learning phase consisting of the association between a geometrical shape and a white noise and a priming phase examining the priming effect of the geometrical shape, seen in the learning phase, on the processing of target tones. In the 3 experiments, the authors found that only the prime associated with the sound in the learning phase had an effect on the target processing. The perceptual nature of the auditory component reactivated by the prime was shown in Experiments 1 and 2 via manipulation of the white noise duration in the learning phase and the stimulus onset asynchrony in the priming phase. Moreover, Experiment 3 highlighted the importance of the simultaneous association of sensory components in the learning phase, which makes it possible to integrate these components in a memory trace.