Publications by authors named "Nicole L Varga"

Adults are capable of either differentiating or integrating similar events in memory based on which representations are optimal for a given situation. Yet how children represent related memories remains unknown. Here, children (7-10 years old) and adults formed memories for separate yet overlapping events.

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Adults remember items with shared contexts as occurring closer in time to one another than those associated with different contexts, even when their objective temporal distance is fixed. Such temporal memory biases are thought to reflect within-event integration and between-event differentiation processes that organize events according to their contextual similarities and differences, respectively. Within-event integration and between-event differentiation are hypothesized to differentially rely on binding and control processes, which may develop at different ages.

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Social environments that are extremely enriched or adverse can influence hippocampal volume. Though most individuals experience social environments that fall somewhere in between these extremes, substantially less is known about the influence of normative variation in social environments on hippocampal structure. Here, we examined whether hippocampal volume tracks normative variation in interpersonal family dynamics in 7- to 12-year-olds and adults recruited from the general population.

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Article Synopsis
  • The research examined how pre-existing knowledge affects the ability to integrate new information, focusing on memory retrieval in adults presented with novel facts.
  • Participants were tested under three conditions: no prior knowledge, general knowledge, and general knowledge with a specific relevant fact.
  • The results showed that having prior knowledge improved memory for new facts, and the type of knowledge influenced how well participants could integrate and retrieve the information.
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The ability to generate new knowledge depends on integration of separate information. For example, in one episode an individual may learn that apple seeds are called pips. In a separate episode, the individual may then learn that pips contain cyanide.

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The current research was an investigation of the cognitive correlates of individual differences in participants' capacity to derive new factual knowledge through integration of information acquired across separate yet related learning episodes. In a sample of 117 adults (Experiment 1) and 57 children aged 8 to 10 years (Experiment 2), we investigated the respective roles of verbal comprehension, working memory span, and relational reasoning in self-derivation of new knowledge through memory integration. The findings revealed patterns of consistency and inconsistency in the cognitive profiles underlying this form of learning in adults and children.

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Accumulation of semantic or factual knowledge is a major task during development. Knowledge builds through direct experience and explicit instruction as well as through productive processes that permit derivation of new understandings. In the present research, we tested the neural bases of the specific productive process of self-derivation of new factual knowledge through integration of separate yet related episodes of new learning.

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Theories of reconstructive memory have long been influenced by investigations of false recognition errors, in which old/new judgements are compromised by spontaneous activation of associated but nonpresented concepts. Recent evidence similarly suggests that reconstructive memory processes (so-called memory integration) also support positive learning behaviors, such as inferential reasoning. Despite prevailing hypotheses, the question of whether a common integration process underlies these seemingly disparate mnemonic outcomes is not well understood.

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Retrieval of autobiographical memories entails periods of search, access, and elaboration. Women's reports of their memories feature more detail and emotional content relative to men's. A key question is how these gender differences relate to unfolding changes in cortical activity during retrieval.

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To build a general knowledge base, it is imperative that individuals acquire, integrate, and further extend knowledge across experiences. For instance, in one episode an individual may learn that George Washington was the first president. In a separate episode they may then learn that Washington was the commander of the Continental Army.

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The present research investigated the retention of new factual knowledge derived through integration of information acquired across temporally distributed learning episodes. Young adults were exposed to novel facts as they read long lists of seemingly unrelated information, one sentence at a time. They then were presented open-ended questions, the answers to which could be self-derived through integration of pairs of facts from the list.

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Semantic memory, defined as our store of knowledge about the world, provides representational support for all of our higher order cognitive functions. As such, it is crucial that the contents of semantic memory remain accessible over time. Although memory for knowledge learned through direct observation has been investigated previously, we know very little about the retention of knowledge derived through integration of information acquired across separate learning episodes.

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The current research was an investigation of the effect of delay on self-generation and retention of knowledge derived through integration by 6-year-old children. Children were presented with novel facts from passages read aloud to them (i.e.

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Memory is of fundamental importance for cognitive, social, and educational function, making it a target for neuropsychological assessment. The subject of this review is one particular type of memory, namely, episodic memory of unique events and experiences. Episodic memory allows for rapid, even one-trial learning of new information and retention of it for later retrieval.

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Children build up knowledge about the world and also remember individual episodes. How individual episodes during which children learn new things become integrated with one another to form general knowledge is only beginning to be explored. Integration between separate episodes is called on in educational contexts and in everyday life as a major means of extending knowledge and organizing information.

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Immunodeficient NOD.Cg-Prkdc(scid) Il2rg(tm1Wjl)/SzJ (NSG) mice are a valuable resource to study human hematopoietic stem cells. Prolonged multilineage hematopoiesis indicates stem cell engraftment and generally is measured by flow cytometry.

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