Context-dependent memory: How it works and why it matters
You may be able to readily understand how context can make facts and figures more meaningful. What you might not realize, however, is that context can also make your thoughts and experiences more memorable and easier to understand. By understanding context-dependent memory and learning how to put that knowledge to work, you may be able to reap a variety of benefits.
What is context-dependent memory?
When you learn something in one context, you might more easily remember it in that same context. For example, some people chew a particular flavor of gum or drink a certain type of tea while studying. When taking an exam covering that material, they chew that same gum or drink the same tea to help jog their memory. Context-dependent memory can extend to more than just learning, though. We’ll explore this in greater detail below after looking at the brain structures involved in this type of memory.
What brain structures are involved?
The two main brain structures involved in context-dependent memory are the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex. The hippocampus is thought to be related to human emotion and memory. The prefrontal cortex is an area of gray matter on both sides of the front part of the brain. It can be useful in emotional, cognitive, and behavioral functions.
Types of context-dependent memory
Context-dependent memory includes several different subtypes. The difference between these subtypes is often related to the kind of context involved.
Environmental
Your environment can have a strong effect on your ability to recall information and memories. For instance, you may have trouble remembering much from your childhood. However, if you go back and walk through your childhood home, memories that have been hidden for years may suddenly spring to mind.
The environment doesn’t necessarily have to be identical, either. You may be able to remember facts and experiences more clearly anytime you’re in a similar environment. Suppose you were given a specs sheet to read and memorize during your work hours. Now, suppose you’re at home trying to relay that information to a friend. The environment is different, so you might have trouble remembering those specs. However, when you go back to work, your context-dependent memory may make it easier to remember it when you need it.
One study tested deep-sea divers in two different environments. They learned a list of words in a cold-water environment and tried to recall those words in the same environment as well as on land. The experiment went on to test land learning as well. The results showed that the divers remembered much more when they were in the same environment as when they initially learned the words.
State-dependent learning
State-dependent memory can come into play when you’re in the same physical or mental state in which you first learned something. Much of the research on state-dependent learning has been on the effects of being under the influence of a drug and memory.
In one study, researchers explored the effects of marijuana on state-dependent memory. Subjects were given either a placebo or actual marijuana. Then, they were given a list of categorized words. They were then asked to recall the words when they were using either the placebo or the marijuana. In all cases, those who learned in one state (drugged or not drugged) recalled the words most easily when in the same state in which they learned it.
Similar results have been shown for other drugs, alcohol, and even cigarettes. State-dependent memory studies have been maligned at times. The results aren’t always consistent, and it can be difficult to draw accurate conclusions. However, according to some researchers, this is simply the nature of memory. Since it’s impossible to remove all possibilities of other cues, it can be difficult to determine exactly what helps someone remember something and what doesn’t.
Cognitive
Cognitive context-dependent memory is based on the cognitive state you’re in when you learn and remember. While there may be other significant cognitive states, the two main states that have been studied are language and motivational states.
When people who speak more than one language learn something in one of those languages, they recall it most effectively in that same language. As for motivation, when thinking of achievement, you may be more likely to recall words and information you learned at that time.
Mood
Mood can also have a significant effect on your memory. Scientists call this phenomenon mood-dependent or mood-congruent memory. With mood-congruent memory, you may recall things that happened more easily if you are in the same mood as you were when they happened. Thus, if you want to remember something that happened when you were in a bad mood, you may have more success if you go through the mental processes that led to that bad mood. This may also explain why those who are experiencing sadness are more likely to remember and hold onto sad thoughts and memories rather than positive ones.
Context-dependent extinction
In many instances, having a strong memory can be helpful. However, there are times when the memory of something traumatic or unpleasant can seem more of a curse than a blessing. Sometimes, we just want to forget.
Context-dependent extinction is a process of disconnecting a memory from its environmental cues. For example, if a soldier had a traumatic experience in a jungle setting, those memories may be very vivid whenever they’re in that type of natural setting. If they live or work in such a setting, they may experience post-traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) until they can train themselves to dissociate the war trauma memory from the physical cues in their environment.
How to enhance learning and recall
For as long as you live, you’ll have new things available to learn and recall. How can you do it more strongly and easily? You might try to make use of context-dependent memory to improve recall. When the context is the same, the memories may flow more easily. If you’re trying to recall something, you might try to put yourself under similar circumstances as when you learned it. Sometimes a familiar smell or taste is all that you need to recall your memories.
When needing to remember information for work or school, consider studying in the same environment in which you’ll be tested or will need to remember. Even if it isn’t the same exact environment, you can replicate many of the environmental cues from your testing site. For example, if the testing place is quiet, you might try studying where it’s quiet. If you must recall the material in a busy, noisy office, consider finding a place to study where it’s equally busy and noisy. You might also wear the same clothes while studying as you will when taking the test or having to recall the information.
You can use many environmental cues to make the connection. Consider the information you get from your five senses in the testing environment. If you can, you might expose yourself to those same sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and touch sensations as you study for a test or prepare for a presentation. The answers may come to you more easily and reliably when you’re in the actual environment where you need to recall the information.
You can also use what you know about state-dependent memory. If you need to be sober to take the test or otherwise recall what you’ve learned, then it may not be helpful to try to learn the information while under the influence of alcohol or other substances.
If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.
Mood-dependent memory can also make a difference in what you remember. If you need to remember positive things, you may have more success if you do it while you’re in a positive mood. You can learn to manage your moods with support, the right tools, and plenty of practice.
Putting traumatic memories in the past
If trauma from the past is still vivid in your memory, you may be able to learn to diminish the way it affects you today. Psychologists often use exposure therapy to help people make more neutral connections with the type of environment in which a traumatic event happened. There are several different types of exposure therapy, including:
- In situ exposure therapy, which involves returning to the environment where the trauma happened
- Virtual reality (VR) therapy, which uses a computer or VR equipment to allow a person to experience a trauma-related environment
Everyone heals from traumatic memories in different ways. If you are experiencing difficulty with memories from your past, you might consider reaching out to a licensed therapist to gain support and evidence-based strategies for overcoming those memories.
Do you need help processing or recalling an important memory?
Online counseling with BetterHelp
You can take many steps on your own to improve your memory and move past the memories that cause you emotional distress. However, if you find yourself facing problems that feel too big to manage alone, working with a licensed therapist may help. If you feel hesitant to explore difficult memories in a therapist’s office, you might consider online therapy, which allows you to connect with a therapist through audio or video chat.
BetterHelp has a network of more than 30,000 licensed therapists, so you can be matched with a therapist who has experience with traumatic memories, PTSD, or other concerns related to memory.
The efficacy of online counseling
Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common mental health condition that can develop after a person experiences or witnesses a traumatic event. In many cases, it can be difficult to forget the memories of this event, and you may find yourself having frequent flashbacks of it. Researchers have studied the effect of internet-based cognitive therapy on symptoms of PTSD (CT-PTSD). In one study, they found that “internet-delivered cognitive therapy for PTSD appears to be an acceptable and efficacious treatment.” Also, 80% of participants experienced clinically significant improvement in symptoms of PTSD.
Below are some reviews of online therapists who have helped people understand, unlock, and overcome their memories.
Counselor reviews
“I have really appreciated my subscription to BetterHelp, and have recommended it to a couple friends. My therapist helped me get through a really difficult time. It was such a relief knowing she would respond immediately when I needed support. And even when our conversations were difficult, she always pulled me through. I have more confidence in my ability to refute anxiety and face it, rather than avoid and give power to old memories. Thanks, B”
“Carmen is really insightful, listens to me, and acknowledges my experience and challenges with PTSD. I feel heard and supported. It’s been only a short amount of time but I am confident in her ability to help me.”
Takeaway
With BetterHelp, you can choose a therapist who has training in ways to help people navigate their memories and tap into the power of memory control. Take the first step to using context-dependent memory to your advantage and reach out to BetterHelp today.
What is a context-dependent memory?
Context-dependent memory refers to a memory that is only retrieved due to the internal context or external context of a situation, someone’s emotional state, or sensory experiences. For example, someone may use context-dependent memory recall when they smell the perfume their grandma used to wear. The smell of the perfume offers environmental context, prompting memory retrieval.
Traumatic memories are often context-dependent. Because traumatic memories are often stored in the amygdala, the emotional and sensory processing center of the brain structure, they may only be genuinely remembered or relived by someone when contextual cues are present, such as scent, sight, sound, sensation, or taste.
What is an example of context-dependent learning?
Context-dependent learning occurs when you use memory recall of contextual cues to navigate an unknown or uncomfortable situation. For example, if you have forgotten where you left your wallet, you might remember all the places you usually put your wallet or have found it in the past when you’ve lost it. This process uses environmental context to solve a new challenge.
What is an example of a contextual memory?
An example of contextual memory retrieval can be seen with traumatic memories. For instance, a person who experienced childhood trauma may go through life without remembering the details of the trauma, except when specific contextual cues appear, such as emotions or sensory experiences that were similar to those they experienced during the traumatic event. When an emotional state is used to recall a memory, it is called affect recall. Mood-dependent effects of memory are most commonly seen in memories stored in the amygdala brain structure, which are most commonly traumatic memories.
What is the difference between context-dependent and independent?
Context-dependent memories are only activated when contextual cues (like temporal context) are present. They cannot be randomly remembered or activated without internal or environmental context. Unlike context-dependent effects, independent memory processes can occur with or without context.
For example, remembering you felt sad when the weather was cold last weekend is an independent memory. However, suppose you start to feel sad every time the weather is cold because of a past experience of sadness when the weather was cold. In that case, you might be experiencing environmental context-dependent memory retrieval due to the contextual cues of coldness and sadness. Environmental context-dependent memory is based primarily on external environmental context factors.
Why does context-dependent memory work?
Context-dependent memory works because context cues can boost memory processes. If you only used one type of context, like physical context, to remember events, all your memories would be physical, ignoring crucial details like environmental context, emotions, logic, and detail analytics. Context-dependent memory allows you to remember specific bits of memory more easily by re-entering a context in which they were present when the memory occurred.
In environmental context-dependent memory, you might be prompted to remember an event when you revisit the location where it occurred. The visual cues of the location or the scent of the air may target your sensory memory and help you connect long-term stored memories. If you’re struggling with context-dependent forgetting, this process can help you interact more tangibly with your memories in the memory recall process.
What is context-dependent and context-independent?
In cognitive psychology, context-dependent memory, like environmental context-dependent memory, uses external or internal cues to aid memory recall, such as emotions (through affect recall) or sounds in an environmental context. Context-independent memories can be brought up quickly or remembered randomly without cues or temporal context. Context-dependent and context-independent may not only apply to remembering, however. You can also experience context-dependent forgetting, which means memories are more challenging to retrieve due to certain context cues.
What type of memory do people with ADHD struggle with?
According to cognitive psychology, people with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may struggle more with short-term memory. This effect may be due to difficulty focusing when learning new information. However, how people with ADHD learn can also depend on their environmental context. Some people may learn better when given the accommodations to succeed.
People with ADHD may also experience context-dependent forgetting, which occurs when the environmental context distracts from memory formation. For example, if one is in a busy environment with loud sounds, one may be less likely to remember an important piece of information studied. This phenomenon is known as context-dependent forgetting because the forgetfulness only occurs in specific scenarios. They may not experience context-dependent forgetting when in an environment that supports their cognitive needs. These context-dependent effects can be changed by offering accommodation and support.
Do people with ADHD have selective memory?
A recent study looked at whether individuals with ADHD had selective memory. The study found that people with ADHD were less likely to have selective memory than people in the control group (without ADHD). People with ADHD may have detail-oriented minds. However, it can seem that their memory is selective because of distractibility based on environmental context-dependent memory, which may cause them to change subjects quickly or temporarily forget a detail they previously knew.
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