The Impact of Exposure to a Novel Virtual Environment on Episodic Memory as a Function of the Level of Processing During Encoding

This study examines whether exploring a novel environment in virtual reality enhances verbal episodic memory as a function of level of processing during encoding. Thirty-four participants completed three sessions. In the first, they familiarized themselves with a virtual environment. In the second and third sessions, they explored either the same (familiar) or a different (novel) environment before completing an episodic memory task. The task required participants to encode words under deep or shallow conditions and then complete free recall and recognition memory tests. Results showed that recall and recognition were better with deep encoding compared to shallow encoding. Recall was better in the second session for deep encoding, regardless of novelty. For shallow encoding, recall was better after exploring the novel environment, but only if it occurred in the third session. Recognition memory was unaffected by novelty. These findings suggest that environmental novelty benefits weak memories, but under specific conditions. 1 | Introduction Attention to novelty-that is, directing the senses toward what is unknown-is a hallmark of human and animal behavior; it is adaptive, as novelty in the environment may signal threat, danger, or reward (Panksepp 1998). In the literature, a distinction is made between different types of novelty (i.e., absolute novelty, contextual novelty, associative novelty, environmental novelty) that lead to different brain responses and involve the synthesis and release of various neurotransmitters (norepinephrine, dopamine, and acetylcholine) (