The Role of the PFC in Semantic Memory Tasks

Abstract

<p>The PFC plays an important role in memory tasks in organizing free recall. However, very little is known about the exact mechanisms underlying PFC function. Many researchers, like Morris Moscovitch (1994) believe the PFC supplies cues to other memory areas but details concerning this hypothetical function are vague. Anderson (2003), in contrast, believes that the PFC directly suppresses semantic memory traces. These potential functions of the PFC were explored in the following work. A model of non-strategic memory was built using a TCM framework, and a number of different implementations were evaluated. The model was then applied to Anderson's RIF work, to determine whether an item inhibition account of memory was necessary to explain RIF results. Finally, the model was applied to semantic memory strategies in free recall results to guide empirical research. It was found that no direct inhibition was necessary to explain RIF, and that, in a timed and categorized free recall task, the PFC best performs a semantic strategy by generating category labels at recall. Implications of this work were then discussed. </P>