Daria Lisus's ARIA project:听Investigating the Influence of Surprise and Suspense on Memory Recollection
听
The ARIA Project that I worked on this summer with Dr. Signy Sheldon investigated the connection between surprising and suspenseful events and memory recollection. Our study focused on whether knowing the outcome of a surprising action would reduce memory for the content of the story. In addition, we explored how memory for specific parts of a story may be influenced by whether the outcome of the story was known prior to reading it. We tested these two aims via an online recognition memory task, allowing us to build on our understanding of the relationship between memory, and surprise and suspense. Based on previous research that discusses how novelty can increase memory encoding, we predict that memory for events that have a known outcome will be lower than for events with an unknown outcome, since novelty will be increased. Additionally, other research discusses how surprising events can selectively improve memory for information prior to the event. This leads us to predict that memory for event details prior to a surprising event will be increased in comparison to details that occur after this event.
Prior to this summer, I had the opportunity to work as a volunteer at the Sheldon Memory Lab which sparked my curiosity about a summer research internship project, as well as in my topic of research. I was interested in an ARIA project to allow me to get a better understanding of laboratory work, while also allowing me to learn how to create and conduct a project about my specific interests in the field of memory research. One thing that was extremely valuable about the ARIA project was all of the support and resources that it provided to the students who were a part of the internship. It was more than just about conducting research; it was about understanding how to review previous literature, exploring different aspects of laboratory work, and learning to ask for help when it is needed.
Going into the ARIA project my learning objectives were to gather a better understanding of how to conduct research, as well as gain skills in writing and presenting information. While I continued to follow these learning objectives throughout the summer, I also think that as my project changed and I faced various challenges, my learning objectives changed as well. By the end of the summer, I also began to focus on putting myself out of my comfort zone and being open to learning new skills, such as coding. One of my main new learning objectives became understanding how to effectively find connections between research papers and my fields of study.
One of the biggest highlights from the summer was participating in the Sheldon Memory Lab weekly lab meetings. I was able to not only learn about different aspects of memory and the brain, but I was also able to gain helpful feedback on my own project. The members of the lab always had great advice and sparked conversations that allowed me to view the project that I was working on more critically.
The biggest challenge that I encountered was having to switch my project from an in-person to a virtual format. I struggled with understanding the best way to change the format of my project, especially since I did not have a lot of coding experience. At the beginning of the summer I was very nervous about having to learn how to code in a new language, however, with the help of different members in my lab and other resources I was able to develop these skills and build the program. This experience ended up being a big highlight for me this summer because I was able to learn how to approach and face these types of challenges while conducting research. I am very thankful for the support that I received in overcoming this challenge and I am happy that I was able to learn a lot about adapting to new situations and being open to taking risks.
The ARIA project has had a significant impact on shaping my future career and education path. While I was always interested in research, I think that the ARIA project has allowed me to dive deeper into this part of psychology and gain a better understanding of the types of projects and areas of interest that I want to keep pursuing in the future. My ARIA project taught me a lot about not only about the field of research and human memory, but also about how to effectively read research articles, communicate with others, and better form my ideas. I believe that this will guide my future education path as these skills will be applicable to both research and my school courses. Through learning about other students鈥� ARIA projects, I also began to think more about other amazing areas of research which has sparked my interest in various courses offered at 捆绑SM社区 and other possible research projects.
I want to thank Mr. Harry Samuel for funding my ARIA research project and giving me the opportunity to learn more about memory and other amazing topics that are being researched at 捆绑SM社区.
