Encoding-Stage Adaptation Effects: Long-Term Memory

Abstract

Given adaptation changes perceptual experience it probably shapes long-term memory (LTM). Across four experiments participants were adapted to strongly gendered (male female: Experiments 1 and 2) or aged faces (old young: Experiments 3 and 4) before LTM encoding and later completed an LTM test in which the encoded faces were morphed with the opposite end of the relevant continuum. At retrieval participants judged whether probe faces were more or less male or female or young or old than when presented during encoding. For male female and young faces encoding-stage adaptation significantly shifted the point of subjective equality in the unadapted direction. Additionally encoding-stage adaptation significantly enhanced recognition of faces during LTM retrieval. We conclude that encoding-related adaptation is reflected in LTM.