Memory → Attention: How Memory Shapes Attention in Decision Making

Memory influences attention and consequently how decision-makers prioritize information, evaluate options, and sustain focus. Decision governance can be designed to influence variables in these mechanisms, which makes it useful to know about them. Common mechanisms are outlined after an example.

This text is part of the series on decision governance. Decision Governance is concerned with how to improve the quality of decisions by changing the context, process, data, and tools (including AI) used to make decisions. Understanding decision governance empowers decision makers and decision stakeholders to improve how they make decisions with others. Start with “What is Decision Governance?” and find all texts on decision governance here.

Example: Investment Decision-Making in Financial Markets

A portfolio manager at an investment firm must decide whether to invest in a newly emerging technology stock. Their decision-making process is influenced by memory, which in turn shapes attention and ultimately determines how they prioritize information, evaluate options, and sustain focus. How might memory influence attention and decision-making in this scenario?

1. Memory → Goals
   • The portfolio manager recalls past successful investments in early-stage technology firms.
   • This memory establishes the goal of identifying another high-potential tech investment.
2. Goals → Attention Prioritization
   • Because of the established goal, the manager selectively attends to financial reports and industry news related to emerging technologies.
   • They filter out distractions from other sectors (e.g., consumer goods, healthcare).
3. Attention → Information Evaluation
   • The manager focuses on familiar success indicators, such as revenue growth, market trends, and historical performance of similar companies.
   • Due to bias from past experiences, they may overestimate the likelihood of success.
4. Sustained Focus → Long-Term Decision Execution
   • If memory reinforces the belief that early tech investments yield long-term gains, the manager may stay committed to the investment even in the face of short-term volatility.
   • Alternatively, if past experiences include failure due to overvaluation, they may become overly cautious and avoid the stock.

Outcome of the influence of memory on attention:

• If positive memory bias dominates, the manager invests aggressively, potentially ignoring risks.
• If negative memory bias dominates, they avoid the investment, possibly missing an opportunity.
• The ability to adjust attention based on objective data—rather than past experiences alone—can lead to more rational decision-making.

This example illustrates how memory-driven attention affects which information is prioritized, how options are evaluated, and whether decision-makers stay committed to their choices. Recognizing this influence can help professionals mitigate biases and rely more on data.

Mechanisms Linking Memory and Attention

1. Top-Down Control of Attention by Memory

Top-down attention is driven by internal goals and expectations rather than external stimuli. Research shows that memory plays a crucial role in guiding this form of attention, particularly in goal-directed behavior (Awh, Belopolsky, & Theeuwes, 2012). When making decisions, individuals rely on working memory to maintain relevant information, allowing them to filter out distractions and focus on critical elements of a problem. Studies using eye-tracking and neuroimaging demonstrate that individuals direct their gaze toward features that align with their stored knowledge, highlighting how memory steers attention toward decision-relevant information (Hutchinson & Turk-Browne, 2012).

Mechanism summary:

• Memory → Goals
• Goals → Attention
• Attention → Filtering
• Filtering → Decision Focus

2. Implicit Memory Biasing Attentional Selection

Implicit memory refers to unconscious memory processes that influence behavior without deliberate recall. This form of memory can bias attention toward familiar stimuli, even when such familiarity is irrelevant to the task at hand (Chun & Jiang, 1998). Research on contextual cueing suggests that people are more likely to attend to locations that previously contained important information, even if they are unaware of the learned association (Geng & Behrmann, 2005). This mechanism has significant implications for decision-making, as it can lead to attentional biases that favor previously encountered options, reinforcing habitual choices.

Mechanism summary:

• Implicit Memory → Familiarity
• Familiarity → Attention
• Attention → Bias
• Bias → Decision Preference

3. Episodic Memory and Attentional Anchoring

Episodic memory, which stores personal experiences, also plays a role in guiding attention. When faced with a decision, individuals retrieve episodic memories that influence what aspects of the environment they attend to (Summerfield et al., 2011). For example, a manager deciding on a marketing strategy may focus on elements reminiscent of a previous successful campaign, while disregarding novel but potentially beneficial approaches. The process of attentional anchoring—where past experiences constrain the range of considered options—illustrates how episodic memory can direct attention in ways that reinforce past decisions rather than fostering innovation.

Mechanism summary:

• Episodic Memory → Past Experience
• Past Experience → Attention
• Attention → Anchoring
• Anchoring → Decision Constraint

4. Semantic Memory Shaping Attentional Prioritization

Semantic memory consists of generalized knowledge and concepts accumulated over time. It provides a framework for interpreting new information and determining which elements deserve attention. Research suggests that semantic priming can enhance attention toward conceptually related stimuli, increasing the likelihood of selecting familiar options in decision-making scenarios (Neely, 1991). This mechanism is particularly relevant in professional decision-making, where expertise—built through accumulated semantic memory—helps decision-makers filter out irrelevant details and focus on domain-specific cues (Ericsson & Kintsch, 1995).

Mechanism summary:

• Semantic Memory → Knowledge
• Knowledge → Priming
• Priming → Attention
• Attention → Decision Selection

5. Prospective Memory and Sustained Attention

Prospective memory, the ability to remember future intentions, contributes to sustained attention by keeping goals active in working memory. Neuroscientific studies indicate that the prefrontal cortex supports prospective memory by maintaining attentional focus on pending tasks (McDaniel & Einstein, 2000). In decision-making contexts, prospective memory ensures that decision-makers remain focused on long-term objectives, reducing susceptibility to momentary distractions. For example, an investment analyst may rely on prospective memory to continuously monitor economic indicators relevant to a long-term investment strategy, rather than being swayed by short-term market fluctuations.

Mechanism summary:

• Prospective Memory → Future Goals
• Future Goals → Working Memory
• Working Memory → Sustained Attention
• Sustained Attention → Long-term Decision Focus

Summary of the Mechanisms

The following image shows all mechanisms as a graph where variables are nodes and edges correspond to the rules used to describe each mechanism. Edges are labeled by the mechanism they represent in the text. For example, edges labeled 1 correspond to the mechanism in Section 1 above, Top-Down Control of Attention by Memory.

Definitions of Variables in Mechanisms

• Memory: The cognitive function that enables the storage, retention, and retrieval of information from past experiences.
• Goals: Desired outcomes or objectives that guide decision-making processes.
• Future Goals: Long-term objectives that influence ongoing decision-making and resource allocation.
• Working Memory: A temporary storage system that allows individuals to actively hold and manipulate relevant information for cognitive tasks.
• Sustained Attention: The ability to maintain focus on a task or goal over an extended period.
• Long-term Decision Focus: A decision-making strategy that prioritizes sustained goals rather than short-term fluctuations.
• Familiarity: A sense of recognition or prior exposure to stimuli that influences attention.
• Attention: The cognitive process of selectively focusing on specific stimuli while ignoring others.
• Filtering: The process of excluding irrelevant information to prioritize relevant details.
• Bias: A systematic deviation in judgment that results from prior experiences, beliefs, or preferences.
• Decision Preference: The inclination to favor a specific choice or outcome based on prior experiences, familiarity, or biases.
• Episodic Memory: A type of memory that stores personal experiences and events from the past.
• Past Experience: Previously encountered situations that shape future decision-making.
• Anchoring: The cognitive bias where individuals rely too heavily on initial information when making decisions.
• Decision Constraint: The restrictions or limitations imposed on the decision-making process due to cognitive biases, past experiences, or external conditions.
• Semantic Memory: A type of memory that stores general knowledge and concepts, rather than specific experiences.
• Knowledge: Accumulated information and expertise that guide decision-making.
• Priming: The process by which prior exposure to stimuli influences perception and response to new information.
• Decision Selection: The process of choosing the most appropriate option from a set of alternatives based on prioritized information and contextual factors.

References

• Aly, M., & Turk-Browne, N. B. (2017). How hippocampal memory shapes, and is shaped by, attention. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 21(7), 465-480.
• Awh, E., Belopolsky, A. V., & Theeuwes, J. (2012). Top-down versus bottom-up attentional control. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(8), 437-443.
• Cabeza, R., Ciaramelli, E., Olson, I. R., & Moscovitch, M. (2008). The parietal cortex and episodic memory: An attentional account. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(8), 613-625.
• Chun, M. M., & Jiang, Y. (1998). Contextual cueing: Implicit learning and memory of visual context guides spatial attention. Cognitive Psychology, 36(1), 28-71.
• Ericsson, K. A., & Kintsch, W. (1995). Long-term working memory. Psychological Review, 102(2), 211-245.
• Geng, J. J., & Behrmann, M. (2005). Spatial probability as an attentional cue in visual search. Perception & Psychophysics, 67(7), 1252-1268.
• Hutchinson, J. B., & Turk-Browne, N. B. (2012). Memory-guided attention: Control from multiple memory systems. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(12), 576-579.