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Recollection is a continuous process: implications for dual-process theories of recognition memory
Laura Mickes1, Peter E Wais, John T Wixted
1Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0109, USA.
Psychological Science
|March 27, 2009
Summary
Dual-process theory suggests memory decisions use recollection or familiarity. This study shows recollection, like familiarity, is continuous, making dual-process theory more compatible with signal detection theory.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Memory Research
Background:
- Dual-process theory posits recognition decisions rely on recollection or familiarity.
- Signal detection theory assumes recognition is based on a single memory-strength variable.
- Previous models treated recollection as categorical, contrasting with continuous familiarity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the nature of recollection in recognition decisions.
- To assess the compatibility between dual-process theory and signal detection theory.
- To examine the relationship between confidence and accuracy in recollection.
Main Methods:
- Employed a source-memory procedure to evaluate recollection.
- Analyzed the relationship between confidence ratings and accuracy of source recollection.
- Compared findings with predictions of continuous versus categorical memory processes.
Main Results:
- Found a graded relationship between confidence and source-recollection accuracy.
- Demonstrated that recollection, similar to familiarity, operates on a continuous scale.
- This contradicts the notion of recollection as a purely categorical process.
Conclusions:
- Recollection is a continuous process, not a categorical one.
- Dual-process theory is more reconcilable with signal detection theory than previously assumed.
- This finding advances our understanding of memory recognition mechanisms.
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