2026 ECNP Congress

PS04-4176

Electrophysiological comparison of source monitoring performance: the significance of recollection and familiarity across virtual reality and screen-based environments

Sabrina Teckentrup — T. Gruber, J. Kisker · Osnabrück University, Experimental Psychology I, Osnabrück, Germany

2026 ECNP Congress

Introduction

Recent studies in memory research show that Virtual Reality (VR) enables contextually rich scenarios with a heightened sense of presence due to immersion in comparison to screen-based (PC) environments [1, 2]. This is exactly what episodic memory encompasses - singular personal experiences with specific contextual details (when, where and how) [3, 4]. However, the extent to which retrieval processes in VR differ from those in conventional laboratory settings and whether retrieval in VR is associated with improved or altered source memory remains unclear.

Methods

The present study included N=31 participants from Osnabrück University. Using a within-subjects design, the underlying processes of source memory were investigated via electroencephalography (EEG; LiveAmp64 by Brain Vision; 128 electrodes) with event-related potentials (ERPs). EEG data were analyzed using a one-factorial repeated-measurement Analysis of Variance (rmANOVA). Significant effects of rmANOVA were complemented by one-tailed paired post hoc t tests. During encoding, participants were asked to decide whether the presented item was larger or smaller than a shoe box or located at the front or back of a table. During recall 300 objects (100 VR, 100 PC, 100 new) were presented. Participants were asked to decide whether the item was old or new (item memory). When it was classified as old, they had to decide whether they had seen it in VR or on a PC (source memory), whether they should judge its size or position (non-criterial recollection) and how confident they were about their decision. Results (preliminary). The following results indicate that encoding modality (VR, PC) affects item memory only to a limited extent as the mid-frontal old/new effect (FN400) and the parietal old/new effect (LPC) were comparable across both modalities t(30)=1.01, p=.161, d=0.18, 95% CI [-0.30, 0.87]. Within the source memory paradigm, VR did not provide more contextual information than in the PC condition as the estimate for recollection did not differ significantly t(30)=0.02, p=.493, d<0.01, 95% CI [-1.31, 1.33], as well as in the estimate for familiarity, t(30)=-0.07, p=.472, d=-0.01, 95% CI [-1.19, 1.11], in both conditions. Encoding modality (PC vs. VR) appears to have only a limited effect on the neural processes underlying source memory retrieval as well. Conclusion (preliminary). The well-established mid-frontal and parietal old/new effect could be replicated within this study design with no differences between the PC and VR condition for either effect. It can be concluded that the encoding modality has only a limited effect on the processes underlying retrieval from item memory. Further studies on VR investigating specific characteristics can use these data to conclude that any observed differences between 3D and 2D environments are attributable to the specific characteristic under investigation and not to the encoding modality itself [5]. The results from the source memory paradigm suggest that the encoding modality (VR, PC) possibly serves as a contextual factor in this study design by having an impact on the memory performance. VR appears to overcome the context effect by maintaining memory performance (measured by d’-prime) comparable to the PC condition despite mismatch.

References

  1. Kisker, J., Gruber, T., & Schöne, B. (2020). Virtual reality experiences promote autobiographical retrieval mechanisms: Electrophysiological correlates of laboratory and virtual experiences. Psychological Research, 85(7), 2485–2501. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00426-020-01417-x
  2. Ragan, E. D. (2010). The Effects of Higher Levels of Immersion on Procedure Memorization Performance and Implications for Educational Virtual Environments. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments, 19(6), 527–543. https://doi.org/10.1162/pres_a_00016
  3. Tulving, E. (1972). Episodic and semantic memory. In Organization of memory (pp. 381–403). Academic Press.
  4. Plancher, G., & Piolino, P. (2017). Virtual Reality for Assessment of Episodic Memory in Normal and Pathological Aging. In The Role of Technology in Clinical Neuropsychology. Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190234737.003.0015
  5. Kisker, J., Soethe, M., Sagehorn, M., & Gruber, T. (2026). Beyond Context‐Transfer Effects: Attenuated Familiarity During Virtual Reality‐Based Retrieval Across Different Encoding Modalities. European Journal of Neuroscience, 63(5), e70447.