Analysis of pupil variation as a function of the old/new effect in the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm

Abstract

The false memory psychological phenomenon has been an important topic of research, and its comprehension is essential in the context of the law. Studies regarding memory errors in laboratorial backgrounds have shown a significant increase of published articles and one of the most used methods is the Deese, Roediger and McDermott Paradigm (DRM), in which the participant is submitted to a recognition test which is made of new and old words, the former being items not presented and the latter involving words that were showed during the study phase. Among several measures for the assessment of the memory, pupillary variation studies that utilizes the DRM Paradigm highlights different pupil reaction during recognition of old and new words, which is described as pupil old/new effects. The present study will analyze the pattern of pupillary variation through the DRM Paradigm during a recognition memory test of emotional words according to the type of task performed during the retention interval. The sample will be 120 college students who will be randomly divided in two groups: G1 will perform a free recall between the study phase and recognition phase, while G2 will accomplish a short test of phonological fluency, followed by the recognition test. After the calibration procedure of the eye tracking device, SMI RED 500, lists of words varying in their valence and arousal dimension will be presented, and pupil dilation data will be collected at a fraction of 60 Hz. Following this step, the groups will proceed to their particular interval task, that being, minimal retention interval, accompanied by a free recall and recognition memory test, and minimal retention interval followed by two minutes performing a test of phonological verbal fluency and a recognition memory assessment. The results will be analyzed comparing the pupillary variations to types of responses through SMI BeGaze 3.7.104 software.