Unraveling Memory Representations: Perceptual and Conceptual Representations Interactively Support Memory Judgments

Memory representations are comprised of a tableau of features, includingperceptual and conceptual properties of encoded stimuli. While prior research hasshown that both feature types are independently represented in memory, recognitionaccuracy primarily depends on conceptual features. However, memory judgmentsinvolve several processing stages beyond recognition accuracy: evidence accumulationduring decision-making, and subjective evaluations about memory quality. Whetherperceptual and conceptual representations influence these additional stages, andwhether these representations interact during memory judgments, remains untested. Toaddress these questions, we employed computational models of vision to characterizethe perceptual and conceptual features of stimuli while subjects performed forced-choice memory tests. Across 3 experiments (N=708) we demonstrated that all stages ofmemory judgments are influenced by both, perceptual and conceptual representations.Crucially, this influence reflects an interaction between the two representational formats,rather than independent effects; demonstrating that perceptual and conceptual featurerepresentations dynamically influence memory judgments.