Linking the Congruency Effect in Memory to Confirmation Bias in Decision-Making Across the Lifespan – Common Roles of the Medial Prefrontal Cortex

Abstract: Memory and decision-making are two key cognitive processes, influencing each other, and possessing various commonalities and differences. The intricate relationship between the two concepts has gained recent emphasis under a neurocognitive system model. The aim of this review is to connect these two areas of research by focusing on two concepts – the congruency effect in memory research and confirmation bias in decision-making research, and to inspire new research directions. In a selective review of the literature, studies were chosen based on their relevance to these topics following comprehensive literature searches. The review begins with an overview of the two concepts, both of which are notably linked to prior experiences, implicating common roles of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). Given the distinct maturation and ageing patterns of the dorsal and the ventral parts of the mPFC (dmPFC and vmPFC), we further explore related research from a developmental cognitive neuroscience perspective. This perspective offers a valuable tool for understanding the underlying mechanisms and suggests potential directions for future research, including investigating the learning processes associated with the memory congruency effect, employing more complete and inclusive lifespan samples and conducting studies on individual differences. In sum, linking these two concepts may shed new light on understanding how humans process new information based on their prior experiences.