Beyond the Grasslands: Memory Advantages from Intrinsic Survival-Value Stimuli
This study investigates the survival processing advantage from a semantic perspective by examining whether the intrinsic survival value of words enhances memory recall in the absence of an explicit survival context. Forty-eight university students completed a free recall task using words rated for t...
| Autores: | , |
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| Tipo de recurso: | artículo |
| Estado: | Versión publicada |
| Fecha de publicación: | 2026 |
| País: | España |
| Institución: | Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) |
| Repositorio: | DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC |
| OAI Identifier: | oai:digital.csic.es:10261/422469 |
| Acceso en línea: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/422469 |
| Access Level: | acceso abierto |
| Palabra clave: | Intrinsic survival-value stimuli Survival processing advantage Adaptive memory |
| Sumario: | This study investigates the survival processing advantage from a semantic perspective by examining whether the intrinsic survival value of words enhances memory recall in the absence of an explicit survival context. Forty-eight university students completed a free recall task using words rated for their relevance to two survival-related dimensions: obtaining food and avoiding death. Results showed that high-survival-value words were recalled significantly better than neutral words across both dimensions, demonstrating that intrinsic semantic properties can engage adaptive memory mechanisms. These finding extend traditional theories that emphasize contextual survival scenarios as necessary triggers for the mnemonic advantage, suggesting that survival processing can also operate as a semantic feature of stimuli. Theorical and methodological implications are discussed, along with future research directions, including diverse memory measures, broader populations, and long-term retention effects. Overall, this study introduces a novel and well-controlled stimulus-based approach that complements and enriches the conceptual and experimental framework of adaptive memory. |
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