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Published on: December 5, 2014
An ARC-REM model for accuracy and response time in recognition and recall
D E Diller1, P A Nobel, R M Shiffrin
1Department of Psychology, Indiana University Bloomington 47405, USA.
Summary
This study models memory retrieval, differentiating recognition via parallel processing from cued recall through sequential search. It explains why accuracy and response time (RT) diverge in memory tasks.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
- Computational Neuroscience
Background:
- Existing models often struggle to explain dissociations between accuracy and response time (RT) in memory retrieval.
- Recognition and cued recall are distinct memory processes with unique underlying mechanisms.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a novel computational model explaining accuracy and RT in recognition and cued recall.
- To account for observed dissociations between accuracy and RT in memory tasks.
- To fit the model to empirical data from Nobel and Shiffrin (2001).
Main Methods:
- Developed a dual-process model where recognition uses parallel activation and cued recall uses sequential search.
- Incorporated an assessment of retrieval completion (ARC) to time recognition decisions.
- Included within-trial forgetting to explain data patterns.
- Modeled cued recall as an initial step in a search process.
Main Results:
- The model successfully predicts the dissociation between accuracy and RT in recognition tasks.
- It explains why errors in memory retrieval are typically slower than correct responses.
- The model accounts for the minimal impact of list length and study time on RT distributions in recognition.
Conclusions:
- Recognition timing is driven by retrieval completion, not just evidence sufficiency.
- Within-trial forgetting is crucial for understanding RT-accuracy dissociations.
- The proposed model offers a unified framework for understanding recognition and cued recall dynamics.
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