The effects of contextual change or consistency on memory have long been known, but the implications of such effects for our fundamental understanding of associative memory have yet to be realized. In a series of studies, we have demonstrated the multi-factorial nature of memory context effects. Using a variety of paradigms, we have shown how implicit effects of contextual information on memory for target information are dissociable from direct access to such contextual information.

These findings have special importance for understanding the role of frontal lobe-based processes in memory. In addition, we mapped insights into context effects on unconscious expressions of memory that can be gleaned from eye movement recordings. The application of the eye tracker in our research on context memory provides us with new insights into the underlying cognitive processes that occur while performing a memory task.