Recalling memories from a third-person perspective changes how our brain processes them
Remembering your past as an observer affects your memories

Date:
August 13, 2020
Source:
University of Alberta
Summary:
Adopting a third-person, observer point of view when recalling
your past activates different parts of your brain than recalling
a memory seen through your own eyes, according to a new article.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Adopting a third-person, observer point of view when recalling your
past activates different parts of your brain than recalling a memory
seen through your own eyes, according to a new paper.


==========================================================================
"Our perspective when we remember changes which brain regions support
memory and how these brain regions interact together," explained Peggy
St Jacques, assistant professor in the Faculty of Science'sDepartment
of Psychology and co- author on the paper.

Specifically, the results show that recalling memories from an
observer-like perspective, instead of through your own eyes, leads to
greater interaction between the anterior hippocampus and the posterior
medial network.

"These findings contribute to a growing body of research that show that retrieving memories is an active process that can bias and even distort
our memories," added St Jacques.

"Adopting an observer-like perspective involves viewing the past in a
novel way, which requires greater interaction among brain regions that
support our ability to recall the details of a memory and to recreate
mental images in our mind's eye." Adopting an observer-like perspective
may also serve a therapeutic purpose, explained St Jacques. "This may be
an effective way of dealing with troubling memories by viewing the past
from a distance and reducing the intensity of the emotions we feel."
This work builds on St Jacques' previous research on visual perspective
in memory, which found that the perspective from which we recall a memory
can influence how we remember them over time.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Alberta. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Heather Iriye, Peggy L. St. Jacques. How visual perspective
influences
the spatiotemporal dynamics of autobiographical memory
retrieval. Cortex, 2020; 129: 464 DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2020.05.007 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200813134553.htm

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