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Human relational memory requires time and sleep

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Ellenbogen, Jeffrey M., Hu, Peter T., Payne, Jessica D., Titone, Debra, Walker, Matthew P.·2007·Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
DOI 10.1073/pnas.0700094104PMC PMC1863467
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Abstract

Relational memory, the flexible ability to generalize across existing stores of information, is a fundamental property of human cognition. Little is known, however, about how and when this inferential knowledge emerges. Here, we test the hypothesis that human relational memory develops during offline time periods. Fifty-six participants initially learned five “premise pairs” (A>B, B>C, C>D, D>E, and E>F). Unknown to subjects, the pairs contained an embedded hierarchy (A>B>C>D>E>F). Following an offline delay of either 20 min, 12 hr (wake or sleep), or 24 hr, knowledge of the hierarchy was tested by examining inferential judgments for novel “inference pairs” (B>D, C>E, and B>E). Despite all groups achieving near-identical premise pair retention after the offline delay (all groups, >85%; the building blocks of the hierarchy), a striking dissociation was evident in the ability to make relational inference judgments: the 20-min group showed no evidence of inferential ability (52%), whereas the 12- and 24-hr groups displayed highly significant relational memory developments (inference ability of both groups, >75%; P < 0.001). Moreover, if the 12-hr period contained sleep, an additional boost to relational memory was seen for the most distant inferential judgment (the B>E pair; sleep = 93%, wake = 69%, P = 0.03). Interestingly, despite this increase in performance, the sleep benefit was not associated with an increase in subjective confidence for these judgments. Together, these findings demonstrate that human relational memory develops during offline time delays. Furthermore, sleep appears to preferentially facilitate this process by enhancing hierarchical memory binding, thereby allowing superior performance for the more distant inferential judgments, a benefit that may operate below the level of conscious awareness.

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  • Sleep after learning improves ability to infer correct relation between most distant elements in a hierarchy of pairwise presented elements.

    “When participants learned a hierarchy of pairwise presented elements (e.g., A Ͼ B and D Ͼ E), sleep after learning improved the ability to infer the correct relation between the most distant elements (A Ͼ E) (345).”

    From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [345]

    The Abstract reports that sleep improved accuracy on the most distant tested inference pair, B>E, compared with wake (93% versus 69%). The citing sentence gives A>E as the improved inference, but our copy identifies B>E—not A>E—as the tested pair. (LLM, conf=0.90)

    Experimental — accuracy not yet measured

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Ellenbogen, J. M., Hu, P. T., Payne, J. D., Titone, D., & Walker, M. P.
Affiliations
  • Brigham and Women's Hospital (US)
  • Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (US)
  • McGill University (CA)
ORCID
Venue
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Publisher
National Academy of Sciences
Published
2007-05
Volume
104
Issue
18
Pages
7723-7728
ISSN
  • 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
  • 1091-6490
DOI
10.1073/pnas.0700094104
PMC
PMC1863467
OpenAlex
W2157011581
Cited by
415
References
6
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 26 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 17 · 2021: 28 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 20 · 2016: 20 · 2015: 29 · 2014: 35 · 2013: 21 · 2012: 26
FWCI
11.19
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
www.pnas.org/site/misc/userlicense.xhtml (vor, 172 d)
Locations
  • Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • U.S. Public Health Service (K30-4095, T32-7901)
  • National Institute of Mental Health (MH69935, R03MH069935, MH48800)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory and Neural Mechanisms
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Memory Processes and Influences
Keywords
relational memory, sleep, hierarchical memory, memory binding, generalization, subjective confidence
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Female, Humans, Logic, Male, Memory, Sleep, Time Factors, Wakefulness

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