CAFE: Corrective Feedback, Context Memory, and Dopamine
Start Date
August 2025
End Date
August 2025
Location
ALT 306
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to investigate the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms by which corrective feedback enhances memory for contextual details, with a focus on dopaminergic prediction error signaling. Previous research (Overman et al., 2021) showed that participants were more likely to remember the font color of feedback displays when their initial response was wrong rather than correct, indicating that corrective feedback may boost episodic encoding through dopamine-related attentional processes. Prediction error is believed to drive better encoding of contextual details. Additionally, dopamine-related processing is involved in conditions such as ADHD and responses to substances like caffeine, which are linked to changes in attention and reward functioning (MacDonald 2024). To test for associations between context memory, attention, and pupil-linked arousal, we created a multimodal experiment combining a feedback-based memory task with pupillometry and a modified Eriksen flanker task (Eriksen, 1995). Participants generated category responses, received corrective or confirmatory feedback, and took a cued recall test to assess memory for both the items and the font color of the feedback. Flanker task performance and pupil dilation were recorded using E-Prime and a Gazepoint desktop eye tracker throughout the experiment. Participants also completed a short survey on ADHD symptoms, caffeine intake, and ADHD medication use. Data have been collected from thirteen participants aged 18–25, and the study will continue through Fall 2025. The findings may help develop strategies for improving feedback in educational settings and enhance understanding of how dopaminergic traits, including those related to attention and stimulant use, influence learning.
CAFE: Corrective Feedback, Context Memory, and Dopamine
ALT 306
The purpose of this study is to investigate the cognitive and neurobiological mechanisms by which corrective feedback enhances memory for contextual details, with a focus on dopaminergic prediction error signaling. Previous research (Overman et al., 2021) showed that participants were more likely to remember the font color of feedback displays when their initial response was wrong rather than correct, indicating that corrective feedback may boost episodic encoding through dopamine-related attentional processes. Prediction error is believed to drive better encoding of contextual details. Additionally, dopamine-related processing is involved in conditions such as ADHD and responses to substances like caffeine, which are linked to changes in attention and reward functioning (MacDonald 2024). To test for associations between context memory, attention, and pupil-linked arousal, we created a multimodal experiment combining a feedback-based memory task with pupillometry and a modified Eriksen flanker task (Eriksen, 1995). Participants generated category responses, received corrective or confirmatory feedback, and took a cued recall test to assess memory for both the items and the font color of the feedback. Flanker task performance and pupil dilation were recorded using E-Prime and a Gazepoint desktop eye tracker throughout the experiment. Participants also completed a short survey on ADHD symptoms, caffeine intake, and ADHD medication use. Data have been collected from thirteen participants aged 18–25, and the study will continue through Fall 2025. The findings may help develop strategies for improving feedback in educational settings and enhance understanding of how dopaminergic traits, including those related to attention and stimulant use, influence learning.
