Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 9, 2026

A Psychophysics Paradigm for the Collection and Analysis of Similarity Judgments
Published on: March 1, 2022
Familiarity for associations? A test of the domain dichotomy theory
Iain M Harlow1, Graham Mackenzie, David I Donaldson
1Neuroinformatics Doctoral Training Centre, School of Informatics, University of Edinburgh, 10 Crichton Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9AB, Scotland. i.m.harlow@sms.ed.ac.uk
Abstract:
Episodic recognition memory is mediated by functionally separable retrieval processes, notably familiarity (a general sense of prior exposure) and recollection (the retrieval of contextual details), whose relative engagement depends partly on the nature of the information being retrieved. Currently, the specific contribution of familiarity to associative recognition memory (where retrieval of the relationships between pairs of stimuli is required) is not clearly understood. In this study, we tested domain dichotomy theory, which predicts that familiarity should contribute more to associative memory when stimuli are similar (within-domain) than when they are distinct (between-domain). Participants studied stimulus pairs, and at test, discriminated intact from rearranged pairs. Stimuli were either within-domain (name-name or image-image pairs) or between-domain (name-image pairs). Across experiments we used 2 different behavioral measures of familiarity based on receiver operating characteristic curves and a modified remember-know procedure. Both experiments provided evidence that familiarity can contribute to associative recognition; however, familiarity was stronger for between-domain pairs, in direct contrast to the domain dichotomy prediction.
Related Concept Videos
Causes of Similarity-Dissimilarity Effect
Factors Influencing Attraction III: Similarity
McNemar's Test
Real-World Application of Classical Conditioning
Higher-order, or second-order, conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with an already established conditioned stimulus through repeated pairings. For instance, if a dog has been...
Associative Learning
Classical conditioning, also known...
Theory of Attribution II: Kelley's Covariation Theory

