Memory : recognizing images seen briefly ten years previously
Recalling the names of old classmates 50 years after graduation or of favorite childhood television series illustrates the amazing abilities of human memory. Emotion and repeated exposure are both known to play a role in long-term memorization, but why do we remember things that are not emotionally charged and have only been seen or experienced a few times in the past? To answer this question, scientists from the Centre de recherche cerveau & cognition research unit (CNRS/Université Toulouse III—Paul Sabatier)1 decided to challenge the memory of individuals they had tested in the laboratory a decade previously. They discovered that participants recognized images seen for only a few seconds ten years earlier. These findings were published online on November 5, 2017, in Cognition . When conducting laboratory tests, it is difficult to account for key factors involved in memorization. Yet it is known that frequent exposure to sensory data translates into durable memories. And that something seen or experienced only once might never be forgotten when strong emotions are involved.
