A Bayesian analysis of dynamics in free recall

Richard Socher, Samuel J. Gershman, Adler J. Perotte, Per B. Sederberg, David M. Blei, Kenneth A. Norman

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

We develop a probabilistic model of human memory performance in free recall experiments. In these experiments, a subject first studies a list of words and then tries to recall them. To model these data, we draw on both previous psychological research and statistical topic models of text documents. We assume that memories are formed by assimilating the semantic meaning of studied words (represented as a distribution over topics) into a slowly changing latent context (represented in the same space). During recall, this context is reinstated and used as a cue for retrieving studied words. By conceptualizing memory retrieval as a dynamic latent variable model, we are able to use Bayesian inference to represent uncertainty and reason about the cognitive processes underlying memory. We present a particle filter algorithm for performing approximate posterior inference, and evaluate our model on the prediction of recalled words in experimental data. By specifying the model hierarchically, we are also able to capture inter-subject variability.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationAdvances in Neural Information Processing Systems 22 - Proceedings of the 2009 Conference
PublisherNeural Information Processing Systems
Pages1714-1722
Number of pages9
ISBN (Print)9781615679119
StatePublished - 2009
Event23rd Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, NIPS 2009 - Vancouver, BC, Canada
Duration: Dec 7 2009Dec 10 2009

Publication series

NameAdvances in Neural Information Processing Systems 22 - Proceedings of the 2009 Conference

Other

Other23rd Annual Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, NIPS 2009
Country/TerritoryCanada
CityVancouver, BC
Period12/7/0912/10/09

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Information Systems

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