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Experiences in virtual reality entail different processes of retrieval as opposed to conventional laboratory settings: A study on human memory

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Abstract

Recently, it has been claimed that real-life, autobiographical events are processed differently compared to conventional laboratory events. Virtual reality might bridge the gap between real life and laboratory experiences and increase the ecological validity of psychological research. There is broad consensus that self-referential processing is essential for the formation of autobiographical memory. However, it is unclear whether autobiographical experiences can be created with commonly used paradigms, or if self-referentiality is unique to (virtual) reality. We thus set up an experiment in which participants explored a virtual Viking Village either in virtual reality or as a conventional first-person experience on a screen. As hypothesized, virtual reality experiences are vividly retrieved via recollection-based mnemonic processes, which are typical for autobiographical memory. In comparison, conventional screen experiences rather leave a feeling of familiarity. The encoding mechanism in virtual reality might closely resemble real-life mnemonic processing, making VR an ideal tool to study real-life cognition under controlled laboratory conditions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychology, Osnabrück University, Seminarstraße 20, 49074, Osnabrück, Germany

    Joanna Kisker, Thomas Gruber & Benjamin Schöne

Authors
  1. Joanna Kisker
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  2. Thomas Gruber
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  3. Benjamin Schöne
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study design. Testing and data collection were performed by J. Kisker. J. Kisker and B. Schöne performed the data analysis and interpretation under the supervision of T. Gruber. J. Kisker drafted the manuscript, and B. Schöne and T. Gruber provided critical revisions. All authors approved the final version of the manuscript for submission.

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Correspondence to Joanna Kisker.

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Highlights

• VR experiences are vividly retrieved via recollection-based mnemonic processes.

• Recollection-based mnemonic processes are typical for autobiographical memory.

• Conventional screen experiences rather leave a feeling of familiarity.

• VR experiences are characterized by a higher degree of immersion compared to conventional laboratory settings, which lead to such vivid memory traces.

• VR might greatly enrich future research as an experimental tool, bridging the gap between laboratory and real-life experiences.

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Kisker, J., Gruber, T. & Schöne, B. Experiences in virtual reality entail different processes of retrieval as opposed to conventional laboratory settings: A study on human memory. Curr Psychol 40, 3190–3197 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-019-00257-2

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