The time course of false recognition memory (original) (raw)

2001

Abstract

ABSTRACT Two experiments combined the response-signal technique (Reed, 1973) with the DRM paradigm (e.g., McDermott & Roediger, 1998) to investigate the time course of false recognition memory, in particular how this effect varies along the time course of generating a recognition judgment. Across the experiments, in addition to standard instructions, there were fo rewarning instructions encouraging participants to avoid this effect as well as inclusion instructions intended to enhance this tendency. It was found that the false memory effect was at its strongest at earlier response signals, diminishing with more time to make a recognition judgment. The forewarning instructions led to a more conservative overall response bias rather than a reduction of the effect. However, participants were able to exaggerate this effect in the inclusion condition. The results are discussed in terms of the role of strategic processing in recognition memory. In recognition memory, one of the most striking findings is people's tendency to mistakenly recognize words that have not been observed but are semantically related to observed words. Experiments in the DRM paradigm (e.g., McDermott & Roediger, 1998) have shown this effect dramatically. After people are presented with several interrelated words, such as "door", "glass", "pane", and "ledge", they are very likely to falsely recognize a highly associated, critical lure item such as "window". Often, the false alarm rate for critical lure items is about as high as the hit rate for presented words. Our experiments were aimed at addressing the role of strategic processing during recognition judgments, in helping to avoid false recognition. By "strategic processing" we refer to those memory processes that are relatively slow and under intentional control.

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