About the Project
This interdisciplinary project involves applying the quantum formalism (QF) to model experimental observations of human emotional memory performance, and the neural systems that support it, to better understand the interaction between elements. The quantum formalism provides a natural mechanism for modelling combinations of difficult-to-reconcile memory effects, such as the question order effect (where changing question order may change the respondent’s answer) and the response replicability effect (where repeated presentations of a question produce the same response across contexts). Conversely, the paradoxical temporal effects often observed in human memory performance mean it may provide a useful theatre for observing analogies of quantum phenomena we cannot access directly.
Temporally ordering the complex set of overlapping emotional events that comprise our lives is a demanding task, yet one our brains constantly undertake, providing shape and story to our lives. This ordering can enhance the detail, context, and accuracy of our memories - or be susceptible to distortions.
Behavioural Analysis: Initially, this project will use the QF to explore and model the role of emotional content and context on the temporal ordering and asynchronous retention of memories. Experiments will vary the proportion of negative, neutral, and positive stimuli and their relative temporal position to test predictions derived from this model. Behavioural outcomes measures will include memory performance and reaction time.
Implicit measures of memory encoding: We will use eye tracking to measure dependent variables (e.g., eye movement, pupil dilation, point of gaze, and blinking) to explore factors occurring during encoding of events containing different emotional content and occurring in different emotional contexts. We will apply the QF to these measurements to create a model that predicts the impact of emotional content on the order and duration of memory for events. Seeing how this model encodes and represents these dependent variables will allow us to identify them as analogues to experimentally-unobservable mathematical elements of the QF, allowing us to more directly intuit how they these elements of the formalism manifest.
By integrating these disciplines, we aim to develop a sophisticated model that explains how emotional events influence memory accuracy and perception of time. The quantum formalism, typically used in physics, provides a natural mechanism for modelling psychological phenomena such as the question order effect and response replicability effect, and critically, perceptual responses to these.
Supervisory Team:
Dr Barbara-Anne Robertson (Lecturer, Psychology), Dr Jonte R Hance (Lecturer, Applied Quantum Foundations), Dr Tom Smulders (Reader, Evolutionary Neuroscience)
Funding:
PhD studentships are funded by the Reece Foundation for 4 years. Funding will cover tuition fees at the UK rate only, a Research Training and Support Grant and a stipend (Year 1: £22,000, Year 2: £23,000. Year 3: £24,000. Year 4: £25,000). Applications are welcomed from students in all countries, although students from outside the UK will be required to pay full international fees. International students may be eligible for additional financial support to cover some, or all, of these fees.
References
- White, L.C. et al. (2016). An investigation of a quantum probability model for the constructive effect of affective evaluation. Philos. Trans. R. Soc. A: MSFB, vol. 374, no. 2058.
Reference - Ozawa, M., & Khrennikov, A. (2021). Modelling combination of question order effect, response replicability effect, and QQ-equality with quantum instruments. J.Math. Psych., 100, 102491.
