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Associative recognition: a case of recall-to-reject processing
1Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Amherst 01003-7710, USA. caren@psych.umass.edu
Memory & Cognition
|December 6, 2000
Summary
Recognition memory involves familiarity and recall. New experiments support the recall-to-reject account, where recalling an item helps reject similar incorrect options, particularly in associative recognition tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Memory
- Human Memory Research
Background:
- Two-process models of recognition memory posit distinct familiarity and recall-based systems.
- Previous research has yielded mixed results regarding the "recall-to-reject" mechanism in item recognition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of recall-to-reject processing in recognition memory.
- To test the validity of the recall-to-reject account across different recognition tasks.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted using methodologies adapted from Rotello and Heit (1999).
- Analyses focused on associative recognition, word pair recognition, and list-discrimination judgments.
Main Results:
- Robust evidence for recall-to-reject processing was found in associative recognition tasks.
- This processing was also observed in word pair recognition and list-discrimination tasks.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide strong support for the recall-to-reject account within broader two-process models of recognition memory.
- These results have significant implications for understanding the interplay between familiarity and recall in memory judgments.