Effects of instructed eye closure, retrieval strategy and dynamic visual noise on autobiographical memory specificity and quality

Closing one's eyes during retrieval has been shown to enhance cognitive performance, especially on tests of episodic memory including eye-witness events and memory for word and picture lists. This paper examines the effects of eye-closure and cue-type on the recall of episodic autobiographical memory to assess whether eye-closure will be more beneficial for memories recalled by generative (vs. direct) retrieval strategies. Eye-closure was manipulated by experimental instructions and compared to an eyes-open condition and one with perceptual interference produced by dynamic visual noise. Direct vs. generative retrieval strategies were manipulated by comparing high to low imagery words as cues, respectively. It was found that eye-closure and high (vs. low) imagery cues increased the rated episodic qualities of autobiographical memory in an additive manner. Autobiographical memory specificity was influenced by an interaction between the eye condition and type of cue, but this reflected a difference in magnitude rather than a qualitatively distinct pattern, indicating that the underlying processes were broadly similar across conditions. These findings suggest that eye-closure enhances the recall and heightens the subjective experience of personal memories. However, the underlying retrieval mechanisms driving this effect remain to be fully understood.