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The reliability of criterion shifting in recognition memory is task dependent.
Bryan A Franks1, Jason L Hicks2
1Department of Psychology, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, 70803-5501, USA. bfran19@lsu.edu.
Memory & Cognition
|July 13, 2016
Summary
Decision criteria in recognition memory tasks shift reliably within specific contexts, but this tendency does not generalize across different types of memory tests. Context-dependent criterion shifts were observed.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience
- Human Memory
Background:
- Decision criteria in recognition memory tasks can shift based on various factors.
- Understanding the reliability and generalizability of these criterion shifts is crucial for interpreting memory performance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the reliability of criterion shifts across testing sessions in different recognition tasks.
- To determine if criterion shifts in one task context predict shifts in another.
Main Methods:
- Experiment 1: Established group-level criterion shifting using expected strength of target items and assessed test-retest reliability.
- Experiment 2: Manipulated target item probability or expected memory strength across two days, assessing criterion shifts in two different tasks.
Main Results:
- Consistent group-level criterion shifting was observed, influenced by expected item strength and manipulated probabilities.
- Criterion shifts were reliable within the same test context across days.
- Individual tendencies to shift criteria did not generalize across different recognition task types.
Conclusions:
- Criterion shifting in recognition memory is context-dependent, largely determined by the specific test environment.
- While shifts are reliable within a context, they do not predict shifts in other recognition memory task types.
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