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Recent studies revealed that retrieval of emotional materials over neutral materials (emotional enhancement) are observed in both younger and older adults. This article reviewed aging research pertaining to emotional enhancement of episodic memory, explanative models of emotional enhancement of episodic memory, and occurrence factors leading to emotional enhancement of episodic memory. First, emotional enhancement is observed during not only retrieval but also encoding and storage. Second, response bias and level of processing model explain the emotional enhancement of retrieving episodic memory in older adults. Third, the random design of encoding, long interval between encoding and retrieval, and retrieval of central detail about encoding items lead to emotional enhancement of episodic memory in older adults. Future study is needed to examine the significance of semantic relatedness of encoding items in older adults.

被験者実演課題(SPTs)による記憶成績向上の機序を明らかにするため、大学生45名を対象に、言語課題(VTs)とSPTsの2条件を設定して行為文の記銘を求めた. その30分後に、行為の写真画像を提示し、記銘した行為文(ターゲット)に相当する写真の提示時にできるだけ早くボタンを押し反応を要請する再認課題を用いて、その再認率と虚再認率、反応時間および事象関連電位(ERP)を測定し、VTs条件とSPTs条件間の比較を行った. その結果、VTs条件よりもSPTs条件において、再認成績が良く、反応時間も有意に短かった. またERPでは、P300、N400,P600成分を認め、P600ではVTs条件よりもSPTs条件で振幅が有意に大きかった. この結果から、SPTs条件においてはVTs条件と比べて、より大きな資源を必要とするイメージの情報処理が、行為画像による再認時に行われていると推察され、言語のみによる提示よりも、行為を実演することによる再認成績向上に関連していると考えられた. SPTsは、我々が日常生活において行為を想起する際の記憶情報処理に関係していると考えられ、今後はERPを含めた脳活動測定法を用いて、SPTs効果のメカニズムを明らかにすることで、日常の物忘れなどの研究に結びつく可能性が考えられた., The purpose of this study was to clarify mechanisms underlying memory performance improvement using subject-performed tasks (SPTs). We prepared two sets of conditions consisiting of verbal tasks(VTs) and SPTs, and had 45 college students memorize action sentences, followed by recognition tasks thirty minutes later. Specifically, photogrphic images of actions were shown on computer monitors and subjects were asked to react by pressing a button as quickly as possible when photographs corresponding to memorized action sentences appeared. Recognition rate, false recognition rate, reaction time and event-related potential (ERP) were measured, and these values were compared between VT and SPT conditions. We found that recognition performance was better and reaction time significantly shorter under SPT conditions than under VT conditions. Furthermore, P300, N400 and P600 components were observed in ERP, and amplitude at P600 was significantly larger under SPT conditions than under VT conditions. Based on these results, we postulate that compared to VT conditions, image information processing requiring greater resources takes place during recognition based on action images under SPT conditions. This suggests that recognition performance improvement is more related to action demonstrations than solely to verbal presentations. SPTs are related to memory information processing that takes place when, as part of our daily life, each of us recall actions taken by oneself. The present study suggests the possibility that using brain activity measuring methods, including ERP, to clarify mechanisms behind the SPT effect could lead to studies into forgetfulness in daily life.

The Libet's experiments are interpreted by the neural network models. It is probed that the states of awareness and consciousness occur on the activation of the extended reticular and thalamic activating system (ERTAS), and their contents are determined by the association of the ERTAS and the association cortex.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the aspect of the recollection about self-related memory concretely and the ordinary trait as regards to one's memory about normal adolescent group, university students. First, through the semi-structured interview for 12 students, it was observed that they recalled their episodic memory about themselves generally and abstractly. It was suggested the function of the schema about the self-structure, and basically the recollection was reconstructive through the interaction with the listener. Second, it was founded by the free description that most of subjects often and widely recalled their memory, having the stable chronological sense. Furthermore, most of them had the active attitude for dealing with the negative memory. These results were discussed as preliminary materials for the understanding of the clinical group, who have the traumatic memory.

Recently, the performance of the cellular phone has been advanced drastically. Furthermore, the new service with the cellular phone, for instances, mobile banking, online shopping, the settlement-of-accounts method and so on, has been supplied. In these situations, it is important to conserve personal information-on the cellular phone safely. However, on the cellular phone, the conventional authentication method based on the personal identification number (PIN) composed with 4 kinds of digit number has been ever employed. Photographic Authentication is considered as one of methods in order to solve the problem. In the present paper it has proposed the authentication system based on temporal information of the episodic memory images instead of the PIN, realizing high security level. Moreover, the authentication system is constructed on the iappli Development kit, and evaluation experiments are performed. From the results, the system has succeeded in reducing the burden for users to memorize, to conserve and to recall the key-images.

Admissibility and reliability of a child's testimony depends on her/his competence in remembering and communicating facts as well as ability to discriminate the truth from a lie. It also relies on the type of early interview through which the account has previously been elicited. In this article, we reviewed research into the development of relevant cognitive abilities such as episodic memory and communication skills to talk about an event, a nd the ability to tell the difference between the truth and a lie, Also we examined studies on social factors that may facilitate or interfere with the production of an accurate account, such as the forms of questions, interview methods, social pressures and suggestive information. Results suggest that compared with younger children, children over six years of age, who are more aware of source information and the definitions of truth and lie, a nd more able to resist suggestions, are more capable of giving a testimony provided that an unbiased interview has been conducted, The results are discussed in connection with current legislation and investigative procedures in Japan.

The role of printed and self-rated usage frequencies of Chinese characters was investigated by comparing the effects of printed and self-rated frequencies on the reaction time for a cognitive task. The self-rated frequency used in this study was a subjective estimate of the usage frequency of a Chinese character in daily life. Participants rated the Chinese characters once or three times. Then, they judged whether a presented character was a Chinese character or not. The reaction time for making the judgment was recorded. When rating the character only once, low-frequency characters were judged more slowly than high-frequency characters, irrespective of whether the printed or self-rated frequency was used. When rating the character three times, the difference in reaction times between high and low frequency characters disappeared when reaction times were arranged according to the rating value of the first occasion. In contrast, the relationship between reaction time and frequency did not change when the printed frequency was used. Results indicate that frequency estimate was changed by repetition of rating frequency. The theoretical implications of these findings in terms of the judgment of frequency are discussed.