Recognition memory for exceptions to the category rule

Experiments were conducted to demonstrate the utility of a rule-plus-exception model for extending current exemplar-based views of categorization and recognition memory. According to the model, exemplars that are exceptions to category rules have a special status in memory relative to other old items. In each of 4 experiments, participants first learned to categorize items organized into 2 ill-defined categories and then made old-new recognition judgments. Although the categories afforded no perfect rules, a variety of imperfect rules could be formed combined with memorization of exceptions to those rules. In each experiment, superior recognition of exceptions to imperfect logical rules was found. In addition, participants demonstrated better memory for old exemplars than new ones. A mixed model, which assumed a combination of rule-plus-exception processing and residual exemplar storage, provided good quantitative accounts of the data.