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Recent Submissions

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    The necessity of motoric engagement in enhancingroute memory
    (British Psychological Society, 2025-07-03) Sivashankar, Yadurshana; He, Philip; Tsapoitis, Patrick; Skorski, Evan; Fernandes, Myra A.
    The relative contribution of decision-making and motor engagement at encoding, on route memory, was examined using virtual reality (VR). During encoding, participants explored 12 virtual environments for 40 s each. Navigation strategy during encoding was manipulated within-subjects. On Active trials, participants made decisions about their route of travel. On Guided trials, they followed a pre-determined path overlaid on the road, removing the need for decision-making. On Passive trials, participants sim-ply viewed a set route, without initiating decision-making nor engaging movement during encoding. Following exploration of each environment, participants were asked to ‘re-trace their steps’ using the exact route they had just travelled. We also manipulated type of VR implementation(Desktop VR, Headset VR) between subjects. Movement in a Desktop-VR group was controlled via keyboard input, limiting motoric engagement. Movement in a Headset-VR group occurred using a VR-compatible steering wheel, re-quiring relatively greater motoric engagement. We found an effect of navigation strategy only in the Headset-VR group:route memory was significantly better following Active and Guided relative to Passive trials. Memory did not differ following Active relative to Guided trial types, suggesting that decision-making does not underlie the memory benefit. We suggest route memory is enhanced when initiating physical movement during encoding.
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    Symbolism itself does not improve memory for elements on the periodic table
    (Nature, 2025-02-04) Roberts, Brady R. T.; Tran, Sophia H. N.; Fernandes, Myra A.
    Recent work demonstrates that symbols (e.g., $) are reliably better remembered than their word counterparts (e.g., ‘dollar’). It remains an open question whether the memory benefit observed for symbols is due to their unique visual form, or because they offer a symbolic representation of to-be-remembered information. Here, we assessed memory for symbols on the periodic table of elements, which could be presented in symbol format (e.g., H) or word format (e.g., Hydrogen), and compared both to memory for meaningless letters (e.g., J). These stimuli were selected because they all share the same visual features and the former two share the same meaning. Memory was compared across individuals with and without a background in chemistry. In non-experts, memory was highest for words relative to symbols and meaningless letters. In experts (students who had passed an introductory chemistry course), however, memory for words and symbols was equivalent, with both higher than for meaningless letters. Results suggest that prior knowledge of what a symbol means is necessary to gain a memory benefit over semantically-void information, but is not enough to boost memory relative to words. We suggest that using a concrete visual symbol to represent an abstract concept is not enough to confer a memory advantage relative to words; a meaningful and visually distinctive symbol may be necessary.
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    Encouraging Registered Reports at the Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology (CJEP): An Invited Tutorial by Oshiro et al. (2024)
    (American Psychological Association, 2024-11-11) Titone, Debra; Dyson, Ben; Fernandes, Myra; Joanisse, Marc
    Continuing Canadian Journal of Experimental Psychology’s ongoing commitment to Open Science, we invited Oshiro et al. (2024) to submit a peer-reviewed tutorial of the typical format and to offer key pieces of advice when preparing Registered Reports.
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    Motoric engagement, but not decision-making, during encoding influences route memory
    (Taylor & Francis, 2024-05-30) Sivashankar, Yadurshana; He, Philip; Sauzéon, Hélène; Fernandes, Myra. A.
    Navigation aids limit the need for decision-making, possibly hindering memory for routes traveled. We manipulated type of navigation at encoding, within virtual-reality. In the Active condition participants self-initiated decision-making about routes, to find a target, and in the Guided condition followed a pre-defined path overlaid onto virtual streets. In both, they had volitional control using hand-held controllers, allowing head and body rotation in a swivel chair. In the Passive condition they viewed a pre-defined route, with no control of movement. At retrieval, participants were asked to reproduce their exact route from the initial starting point. Route memory was better following Active and Guided encoding than Passive. A visual navigation aid does not impair route memory if volitional movement is maintained.
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    A case for using methods from natural science in advancing the field of cognitive neuroscience
    (Sage, 2024-07-26) Fernandes, Myra A.
    Cognitive neuroscience seeks to pinpoint the neural basis of cognitive function. Application of scientific methods can be credited for its advancement within the field of psychology. Past approaches such as phrenology, that linked bumps on the skull to mental capabilities, initially gained popularity, but the lack of experimental testing contributed to its demise. Research in neuropsychology and the use of the double dissociation experimental technique subsequently emerged. Objective measurements of behaviour following selective damage within the brain led to a paradigm shift. More recently, application of the subtraction technique, coupled with the emergence of cognitive neuroimaging tools, has allowed psychologists to isolate and measure specific functions such as language, vision, memory, and recognition of emotion. Importantly, these approaches enable reliable prediction of behaviours, given parameters of brain integrity, a key goal within the field of psychology.