Sensory competition in spatial memory.

Old memories are often lost due to interference from new memories. Why do some memories survive, while others are overwritten by new experiences? This project uncovers how our senses compete in memory, explaining a previously unknown asymmetry in how we process cross-sensory information. We will examine memory interference across senses to see under what conditions some are prioritized over others. It has been proposed that human olfaction co-evolved with spatial navigation skills, and that food odors might be prioritized in spatial memory and navigation tasks because of their survival value. However, strong empirical evidence for this hypothesis is lacking. To address this knowledge gap, we will investigate a newly observed phenomenon—sensory misattribution asymmetry—wherein memories of the locations of smells have a potential to interfere with memories of sounds, but not vice-versa. We will address whether or not this phenomenon arises only in relation to food-related objects, if it is specific to olfaction, and if it generalizes to non-spatial memory tasks. In three behavioral studies, we aim to resolve these outstanding questions and provide a precise characterization of the sensory misattribution asymmetry phenomenon. Our research will yield insights into an unexplored but potentially fundamental aspect of memory, how information from different senses may compete for memory resources, and it might provide evidence for a prioritized role of olfaction in spatial memory.