Memory after visual search: Overlapping phonology, shared meaning, and bilingual experience influence what we remember

• Published in: Brain and language 2021-11, Vol.222, p.105012-105012, Article 105012
• Main Authors: Marian, Viorica, Hayakawa, Sayuri, Schroeder, Scott R.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Bilingualism; Humans; Individual differences; Language; Language experience; Linguistics; Memory; Mental Recall; Object memory; Phonological overlap; Phonology; Semantic features; Semantic overlap; Semantics; Visual memory; Visual processing; Visual search; Visual world paradigm; Word meaning
• ISSN: 0093-934X; 1090-2155
• DOI: 10.1016/j.bandl.2021.105012

•Phonological and semantic overlap during visual search impact later memory.•Memory is better for items with similar labels to visual search targets.•Memory is better for items with similar meanings to visual search targets.•Bilingualism reduces impact of competing labels and meanings on memory.•Bilingual proficiency, acquisition age, immersion impact memory for competing items. How we remember the things that we see can be shaped by our prior experiences. Here, we examine how linguistic and sensory experiences interact to influence visual memory. Objects in a visual search that shared phonology (cat-cast) or semantics (dog-fox) with a target were later remembered better than unrelated items. Phonological overlap had a greater influence on memory when targets were cued by spoken words, while semantic overlap had a greater effect when targets were cued by characteristic sounds. The influence of overlap on memory varied as a function of individual differences in language experience -- greater bilingual experience was associated with decreased impact of overlap on memory. We conclude that phonological and semantic features of objects influence memory differently depending on individual differences in language experience, guiding not only what we initially look at, but also what we later remember.