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Memory is selective, with certain images lingering in the mind while others fade away. While emotional arousal enhances memory, factors such as image design, vividness, and semantic meaning also contribute to stimulus memorability. This study investigated the cognitive and attentional mechanisms underlying image memorability by comparing different image characteristics (memorability, arousal, valence). Using a within-subject design, participants engaged in an encoding and recognition task involving images with varying levels of these characteristics. Eye-tracking data were collected during encoding to measure eye movement behavior and pupil dilation. Our results revealed that image characteristics interacted to influence memory performance (d′) and pupil dilation in a context-dependent manner. In the physiological domain, the influence of memorability on pupil responses was attenuated under high arousal, but more evident under low arousal. Similarly, memory performance (d′) showed significant interactions among image characteristics, alongside an overall tendency for higher memorability to be associated with better performance. Finally, only pupil dilation was associated with recognition outcomes (hits), which may indicate a closer link between pupil responses and memory-related processing. Accordingly, eye movement behavior did not reliably predict memory performance or differentiate between image characteristics.
Mascaty et al. (2026) studied this question.