Dissociations of Processes in Recognition Memory: Effects of Interference and of Response Speed

Effects on two bases for recognition-memory judgements were examined using a process dissociation procedure ( Jacoby, 1991 ). In three experiments it was found that increasing the length of a study list interfered with conscious recollection but left familiarity in place. Furthermore, an examination of reaction time distributions as well as results from a response-signal procedure showed that familiarity was faster as a basis for recognition judgements than was conscious recollection. However, both bases contributed to performance on the fastest as well as the slowest responses, suggesting that the two processes were acting in parallel.