Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

The testing effect in recognition memory: a dual process account.

Jason C K Chan1, Kathleen B McDermott

  • 1Department of Psychology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, USA. jason.ckchan@gmail.com

Journal of Experimental Psychology. Learning, Memory, and Cognition
|March 14, 2007
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Macular Hole Closure by Internal Limiting Membrane Flap without Gas Tamponade versus Conventional Surgery: A Comparative Study.

Ophthalmology. Retina·2025
Same author

Less is More: Lower Levels of Task-Induced Hippocampal Activation Predict Better Performance on a Separate Verbal Memory Evaluation.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2025
Same author

In-lecture quizzes improve online learning for university and community college students.

Communications psychology·2025
Same author

The magnitude of the testing effect is independent of retrieval practice performance.

Journal of experimental psychology. General·2024
Same author

Does testing potentiate new learning because it enables learners to use better strategies?

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2023
Same author

Reply to Newton: Missing the forest (correlation) for the trees (mean differences).

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2023
Same journal

Memory loves company: Related object pairs benefit working memory.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2026
Same journal

Ranschburg unrepeated.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2026
Same journal

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times: Evidence for switch cost beyond stimulus-response tasks.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2026
Same journal

Testing the predictions of a distinctiveness model of memory: The production effect in backward recall.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2026
Same journal

On the impact of adjacency on transposed-word effects under serial presentation.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2026
Same journal

It's time to opt out: Metacognitive analysis of time regulation under uncertainty.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2026
See all related articles

Taking an initial recall test enhances later memory recollection but does not affect familiarity. This finding clarifies the impact of testing on memory retrieval processes, specifically for recognition tasks.

Area of Science:

  • Cognitive Psychology
  • Neuroscience
  • Memory Research

Background:

  • The testing effect, where initial testing improves memory, is well-established for recall.
  • Its impact on recognition memory remains less understood, with mixed findings.
  • Prior research has not clearly delineated how initial testing affects distinct recognition processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether an initial recall test influences subsequent recognition memory performance.
  • To determine if initial testing alters the underlying mechanisms of recognition, such as recollection and familiarity.
  • To examine these effects even when overall recognition accuracy (hit rates) shows no significant difference.

Main Methods:

  • Three experiments were conducted involving initial recall tests followed by recognition tests.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Dependent measures included source memory accuracy, exclusion performance, and remember/know judgments.
  • These measures were used to differentiate between recollection and familiarity contributions to recognition.

    • Main Results:

    • Initial testing significantly enhanced later recollection, indicated by improved source memory and exclusion performance.
    • Familiarity, assessed through remember/know judgments, was not affected by the initial recall test.
    • No significant differences were observed in overall recognition hit rates between testing and control conditions.

    Conclusions:

    • Initial recall testing selectively enhances recollection-based recognition, not familiarity-based recognition.
    • The testing effect can alter the cognitive processes underlying memory retrieval, even without changing overall accuracy.
    • These findings provide a more nuanced understanding of how testing impacts different memory systems.