The Penn Electrophysiology of Encoding and Retrieval Study

The Penn Electrophysiology of Encoding and Retrieval Study (PEERS) aimed to characterize the behavioral and electrophysiological (EEG) correlates of memory encoding and retrieval in highly practiced individuals. Across five PEERS experiments, 300+ subjects contributed more than 7,000 ninety-minute memory testing sessions with recorded EEG data. Here we tell the story of PEERS: it’s genesis, evolution, major findings, and the lessons it taught us about taking a big science approach to the study of memory and the human brain. In particular, we focus on the role of big data in combining computational modeling approaches to cognitive with the study of individual differences.