Familiarity enhances the effectiveness of odors as cues in paired-associate memory.

Previous olfactory paired-associate (PA) studies showed that odors are less effective associative cues than other sensory modalities. It has been suggested that odor familiarity might improve memory stability, thereby facilitating PA memory performance. In the current study, we designed three experiments to investigate whether enhanced odor familiarity would also enhance the effectiveness of odors in a PA memory paradigm.

Semantic congruency facilitates the retrieval of visual associations to odors and decreases retroactive memory interference.

Odors are often considered to be powerful memory cues, yet early olfactory paired-associate (PA) studies suggested that they are less effective than other sensory cues and particularly prone to proactive interference (PI). Research with other modalities indicates semantic similarity increases retroactive interference (RI). Two experiments compared olfactory PA memory to verbal and auditory PA memory, focusing on the role of semantic congruency.

Addressing the Association Between Action Video Game Playing Experience and Visual Search in Naturalistic Multisensory Scenes.

Prior studies investigating the effects of routine action video game play have demonstrated improvements in a variety of cognitive processes, including improvements in attentional tasks. However, there is little evidence indicating that the cognitive benefits of playing action video games generalize from simplified unisensory stimuli to multisensory scenes - a fundamental characteristic of natural, everyday life environments. The present study addressed if video game experience has an impact on crossmodal congruency effects when searching through such multisensory scenes.

The Prevalence of ADHD and Comorbid Disorders in Iranian Adult Male Prison Inmates.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explore the prevalence of ADHD and comorbid disorders in a community sample of adult male prisoners in Iran.

Method: Through stratified sampling method, 908 adult male prison inmates in Gorgan Prison were recruited on a voluntary basis. Diagnostic assessments were based on the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale Screener and a clinical interview based on Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.