Retrieval practice reshapes neighboring memories in a naturalistic continuous-recognition dataset

Abstract Retrieval can facilitate or impair related memories, but most evidence comes from laboratory paradigms with experimenter-defined relationships. Here, we asked whether retrieval-related associations emerge in temporal neighborhoods of a large naturalistic continuous-recognition dataset. We analyzed 72,402 target tests from the Natural Scenes Dataset and modeled target recognition as a function of prior tests of neighboring images. Closest-neighbor analyses showed a local dissociation: accurate same-session neighbor retrieval predicted better target recognition, whereas accurate across-session neighbors and inaccurate same-session neighbors predicted poorer target recognition. Accumulated weighted-history models showed broader positive associations for accurate retrieval history and negative associations for inaccurate same-session history. These findings suggest that retrieval-related spillover in naturalistic memory depends jointly on retrieval success, session context, and neighborhood scale.