The Influence of Survival Context and Psychological Markers on Recall.

Abstract

Introduction: Research shows that stimuli rated for their relevance to a survival scenario have a higher recall probability when compared to other deep encoding conditions. This phenomenon, known as survival memory advantage, is a robust finding that has been demonstrated by various experimental manipulations. The current study aimed to examine associations between participants' psychological markers (perceived stress, anxiety, coping, cognitive control, and flexibility) and their memory performance in survival and other encoding conditions (fight, flight, and pleasantness).

Methods: A total of 141 undergraduates aged 18-35 years participated voluntarily in the study. Four scenario situations (fight, flight, survival, or pleasantness) were randomly allocated to participants, and then they were given a list of words to rate for their relevance to the scenarios. Participants were given a free recall task to measure their memory, while some psychological scales (perceived stress, anxiety level, coping strategies, cognitive control, and flexibility) were administered to assess their psychological markers.

Results: Survival conditions yielded the highest correct recall. Pairwise comparisons showed that difference between survival and pleasant conditions was significant (p<0.05). The other conditions did not differ significantly from one another. Regression analyses revealed that anxiety level may explain 13% of variance in survival condition and 14% of variance in fight condition. No significant effect was found on flight conditions.

Conclusion: Recall performance did not significantly differ between survival, fight, and flight conditions. However, anxiety level in survival conditions and support seeking in fight condition were found to be negative predictors of recollection. According to these results, associations between concepts of anxiety and survival, and between support seeking and fight (struggle) in human mind determine memory processes at a significant level. Individuals' psychological characteristics and coping strategies have different effects on recall depending on the context.