Recollection, familiarity, and behavioural pattern separation: A correlational study

The relationship between recognition and pattern discrimination is not fully understood, and research on the relationships between these two processes is sparse. It has been generally assumed that pattern separation allows for recollection-based recognition. However, recent research has called this assumption into question. Therefore, the need for more research on this topic is evident. In the present study, we sought to investigate relationships between recollection- and familiarity-based recognition and behavioural pattern separation in healthy young adults. Participants (N = 146) completed two recognition tasks on a computer. The first was a word-pair recognition task involving unrelated and unitised word pairs (designed to measure recollection and familiarity, respectively), and the second was a mnemonic similarity test involving old, new, and similar (lure) object images (designed to measure behavioural pattern separation and completion). Correlation analyses showed that both recollection- and familiarity-based recognition were positively related to behavioural pattern separation. Regression analyses showed that, while controlling for familiarity, behavioural pattern separation was still predictive of recollection. However, while controlling for recollection, behavioural pattern separation was no longer predictive of familiarity. These findings support theoretical assumptions linking pattern separation to recollection.