# Perceptual comparisons induce lasting and generalizing changes to face memory reports

## TL;DR

Comparing faces can cause lasting memory distortions, showing how similarity affects memory reports for complex stimuli.

## Contribution

Demonstrates that similarity-induced memory bias occurs with complex face stimuli and persists over time.

## Key findings

- Faces in visual working memory are susceptible to similarity-induced memory bias.
- Similarity-induced memory bias persists across different memory retrieval cues.
- The effect generalizes to complex stimuli with real-world relevance.

## Abstract

Humans are often tasked to remember new faces so that they can recognize the faces later in time. Previous studies found that memory reports for basic visual features (e.g., colors and shapes) are susceptible to systematic distortions as a result of comparison with new visual input, especially when the input is perceived as similar to the memory. The current study tested whether this similarity-induced memory bias (SIMB) would also occur with more complex face stimuli. The results showed that faces that are just perceptually encoded into visual working memory as well as retrieved from visual long-term memory are also susceptible to SIMB. Furthermore, once induced, SIMB persisted over time across cues through which the face memory was accessed for memory report. These results demonstrate the generalizability of SIMB to more complex and practically relevant stimuli, and thus, suggest potential real-world implications.