Sensitivity Reductions in False Recognition: A Measure of False Memories With Stronger Theoretical Implications

Signal detection analyses of recognition memory indicate that a bias to respond "old" is large for critical words that are centrally related with previously encoded word lists, is small for words that are less related, and is not observed for unrelated words. Also, recognition sensitivity...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition memory, and cognition, 2003-09, Vol.29 (5), p.747-759
Main Authors: Westerberg, Carmen E, Marsolek, Chad J
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Attention
Biological and medical sciences
Cognition & reasoning
Experiments
False Memory
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Human
Humans
Learning. Memory
Memory
Mental Recall
Pattern Recognition, Visual
Psycholinguistics
Psychology
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Recognition (Learning)
Repression, Psychology
Retention (Psychology)
Semantics
Sensitivity and Specificity
Signal Detection (Perception)
Speech Perception
Verbal Learning
Words (Phonetic Units)
Citations: Items that cite this one
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Summary:Signal detection analyses of recognition memory indicate that a bias to respond "old" is large for critical words that are centrally related with previously encoded word lists, is small for words that are less related, and is not observed for unrelated words. Also, recognition sensitivity has not been previously shown to differ between those conditions, which has focused debate over how to explain false recognition on the bias differences. In 3 experiments, critical-word sensitivity was lower than sensitivity for other word types, but related-word sensitivity was not lower than sensitivity for unrelated words. Extant models that predict reduced critical-word sensitivity also predict lower sensitivity for related words than for unrelated words. These results provide crucial new constraints on theoretical explanations of false memories.
ISSN:0278-7393
1939-1285
DOI:10.1037/0278-7393.29.5.747