An analysis of signal detection and threshold models of source memory

The authors analyzed source memory performance with an unequal-variance signal detection theory model and compared the findings with extant threshold (multinomial and dual-process) models. In 3 experiments, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analyses of source discrimination revealed curvilinear functions, supporting the relative superiority of a continuous signal detection model when compared with a threshold model. This result has implications for both multinomial and dual-process models, both of which assume linear ROCs in their description of source memory performance.