Authors:
Wayne Khoe
Neal E. A. Kroll
Andrew P. Yonelinas
Ian G. Dobbins
Robert T. Knight
Date: 2000
PubMed: 10869576
Abstract:
Recent reports suggest that some amnesic patients perform relatively normally on forced-choice recognition memory tests. Their preserved performance may re ̄ect the fact that the test relies more heavily on assessments of familiarity, a process that is relatively preserved in these patients, than do other recognition tests such as yes±no tests, which may rely more on recollection. The current study examined recognition memory using yes±no and forced-choice procedures in control and amnesic patients in order to determine whether the two tasks dierentially relied on recollection and familiarity, and whether the extent of the recognition memory de®cit observed in amnesia was dependent upon the type of recognition test used to measure performance. Results using the remember±know procedure with healthy subjects showed that there were no substantial dierences in recognition accuracy or in the contribution of recollection to these two tasks. Moreover, amnesic patients were not found to perform better on a forced-choice test than on a yes±no test, suggesting that familiarity contributed equally to these two types of recognition test.