Neural similarity of schematic information overrides new information, regardless of target or lure information

Schemas allow us to make assumptions about the world based upon previous experiences and aid in memory organization and retrieval. However, a reliance on schemas may also result in increased rates of false memories. Prior neuroimaging work has linked schematic processing in memory tasks to activity in prefrontal, visual, and temporal regions. Yet, it is unclear what type of processing in these regions underlies memory errors. The current study examines whether similarity between neural patterns associated with schematic lures and that of schematic targets might underlie schematic false memories. Participants studied schematic scenes (e.g., bathroom) in which schema-related lures (e.g., sink) were missing from the scene. Pattern similarity analysis was used to determine whether schema membership or object history drove pattern similarity. The results suggest that in occipital and ventromedial prefrontal cortices, schematic similarity and not object history resulted in more similar neural processing. They also suggest that similarity in object history may not be a critical determinant of assessing novelty if the information is schematically related to targets. Overall, the results add knowledge to our understanding of the qualitative neural relationships underlying conceptual false memories and how schematically related information is viewed in the context of a schema.