Memory Reactivation Through Spontaneous Thought: Insights from Cognitive Aging and Eye Movements

This project aims to advance understanding of how spontaneous cognition (e.g., mind wandering) during wakeful rest may support memory consolidation in younger and older adults. Spontaneous memory processes may be especially important in older adulthood as aging is associated with declines in internal mentation and explicit episodic memory processes, alongside relatively preserved implicit memory processes and increased reliance on environmental supports and contextual information. By combining eye-tracking markers of spontaneous cognition with contextually-rich visual stimuli, the present study aims to clarify how internally and externally guided processes jointly contribute to memory functioning in younger and older adults. This project has two primary objectives. First, it will investigate whether covert memory cues embedded within visual scenes during a post-learning wakeful rest period enhance subsequent memory retrieval. In a computerized experiment, participants will study object-word associations, complete a scene-viewing rest interval while eye movements are recorded, and complete retrieval tasks for the originally-learned associations. Half of the previously studied objects will reappear covertly during the scene-viewing rest interval (cued items), and half will not (uncued items). The study will examine whether participants show better memory retention for cued items relative to uncued items, and whether these cueing benefits vary by age group. Second, the study will compare subjective and objective measures of mind wandering during wakeful rest, while exploring their relationships with age, memory, and broader cognitive functioning in younger and older adults. Subjective measures of mind wandering will include intermittent thought probes during the scene-viewing rest interval and a trait-level mind-wandering questionnaire, while objective measures will include eye-tracking indices such as fixation, saccade, blink, and pupillary metrics. The project will investigate whether these measures relate to later memory performance, differ across age groups, and correspond with one another. In addition, following the computerized experiment, participants will complete a brief neuropsychological battery assessing domains relevant to cognitive aging and spontaneous cognition. These measures will be used to examine whether individual differences in cognitive abilities are associated with mind wandering tendencies, clarifying who is most likely to engage in mind wandering and why. These analyses also aim to contribute to emerging research on the potential clinical utility of mind wandering and spontaneous cognitions as markers of cognitive aging trajectories. This project aims to advance understanding of memory consolidation, spontaneous cognition, and healthy cognitive aging. Findings may inform strategies that leverage wakeful rest and environmental cues to support memory functioning in older adulthood.