Representational Dynamics of Episodic Memory Reconstruction in Aphantasia: A Registered Report

Le résumé fourni par la source

Memory retrieval is a reconstructive process in which information from a past event is reinstated through the reactivation of its memory trace. Behavioural and neuroimaging evidence suggests that this reconstruction follows a reversed hierarchy compared to perception: during episodic retrieval, semantic information is accessed prior to perceptual details, whereas perception prioritizes perceptual over semantic features. To which degree this reconstruction depends on voluntary mental imagery is unknown. In this registered report, we outline a study using a response-time paradigm to measure the speed of feature access. The study aims to investigate the temporal dynamics of episodic reinstatement in individuals with aphantasia, who report absent or markedly reduced mental imagery. Participants will perform perceptual and semantic judgments on images that are either visually presented or retrieved from memory, allowing us to examine whether aphantasia disrupts the semantic‑to‑perceptual retrieval sequence. The semantic–perceptual gap may widen if reduced imagery impairs access to visual details, or narrow if perceptual features are “semanticized”. Either outcome reveals how episodic memory retrieval operates without mental imagery.

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