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Discrete-state versus continuous models of the confidence-accuracy relationship in recognition memory
Christophe G Delay1, John T Wixted2
1Department of Psychology, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA.
Psychonomic Bulletin & Review
|October 28, 2020
Summary
Confidence in recognition memory is continuously linked to accuracy, regardless of experimenter influence. This finding supports theories where confidence reflects memory signal strength, not just participant response strategies.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Memory Research
- Decision Making
Background:
- The relationship between confidence and accuracy in recognition memory is crucial for both theoretical understanding and real-world applications like eyewitness testimony.
- Signal detection theory predicts a continuous relationship between confidence and accuracy, which is generally supported by empirical data.
- Threshold models, however, assume discrete memory states and do not inherently predict this continuous relationship, requiring additional assumptions about confidence mapping.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether demand characteristics, such as experimenter instructions, can account for the continuous confidence-accuracy relationship observed in threshold models.
- To theoretically and empirically test the role of perceived experimenter expectations in shaping confidence judgments in recognition memory.
Main Methods:
- Experimental manipulation of demand characteristics in a recognition memory task.
- Measurement of both recognition accuracy and subjective confidence ratings.
- Statistical analysis to compare the confidence-accuracy relationship under different demand conditions.
Main Results:
- A continuous relationship between confidence and accuracy was observed, consistent across conditions with and without strong experimenter demands.
- The findings indicate that demand characteristics did not significantly alter the fundamental confidence-accuracy relationship.
- The data strongly align with the predictions of signal detection theory rather than threshold models requiring hypothetical mapping functions.
Conclusions:
- Confidence in recognition memory appears to genuinely reflect the strength of an underlying continuous memory signal.
- Demand characteristics do not adequately explain the continuous confidence-accuracy relationship, challenging explanations relying on response strategies or perceived experimenter expectations.
- The study reinforces the view that confidence is an intrinsic indicator of memory strength.
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