Memória visual e esquecimento: um estudo experimental em adultos jovens

Abstract

This study investigated the forgetting of visual information in young adults, comparing performance on immediate (30 seconds) and delayed (one hour after encoding) recognition tasks. The hypothesis was that performance would decline over time. The study was conducted in Cordoba (Spain) and the sample consisted of 80 university students. Thirty-two visual fragments (16 targets and 16 distractors) were used in a recognition task, presented using the PsychoPy program. During the information retention interval, tests were administered to participants to assess intelligence, anxiety, depression, and various neuropsychological domains, such as processing speed, attention, and visual working memory. Performance was analyzed using Signal Detection Theory (d' and c). The results showed a significant decline in image recognition after one hour (delayed d' = 2.862 vs. immediate d' = 3.028; t79 = 2,999; p = 0.004), confirming the initial hypothesis. It was also observed that decision criterion (c) was consistently liberal (negative values), indicating a tendency for participants to respond “yes” (high false alarm rate and low omission rate), although there was no significant difference between conditions. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between anxiety and working memory (positive) and attention (negative). In conclusion, the study demonstrated that visual recognition is negatively affected by the passage of time in young adults. The findings provide valuable insights into patterns of visual memory forgetting, suggesting implications for educational and therapeutic interventions that use visual stimuli.