Abstract
The technique of using the signal detectability theory parameter d’ as a measure of trace strength in recognition memory is extended in a decision-making model that predicts that a S’s psychometric function lp(Y/s) plotted against stimulus intensity / will have a peak for intermediate values of trace strength when the S has a bias towards a “Yes” response. An experiment is reported where Ss were required to recognize previously presented nonsense syllables under a number of pay-off conditions designed to give different groups of Ss different response biases. The predictions of the model were confirmed. It is suggested that a S’s discriminability and response bias parameters may not be as stable as previous studies, that pool large samples of data, have indicated, and the results also provide support for a two-stage model of recognition, where a preliminary estimate of the trace strength of an item is obtained before the location of the response criterion is decided.
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This research was carried out while the author held the Clifford Norton Junior Research Fellowship at the Queen’s College, Oxford.
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Smith, P.T. The non-monotonicity of the psychometric function in recognition memory. Perception & Psychophysics 5, 329–337 (1969). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210652
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03210652