HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Azimian-Faridani, N. Articles by Wilding, E. L. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Azimian-Faridani, N. Articles by Wilding, E. L.

The Influence of Criterion Shifts on Electrophysiological Correlates of Recognition Memory

Cardiff University, UK

Reprint requests should be sent to Nazanin Azimian-Faridani, School of Psychology, Cardiff University, Cardiff, CF10 3AT, UK, or via e-mail: nazanin{at}cardiff.ac.uk.

The claim that event-related potentials (ERPs) index familiarity was assessed by acquiring ERPs during a recognition memory task in which participants were instructed to adopt different decision criteria in separate retrieval phases. In one, the instructions were to respond "old" only when confident that this was the correct response, and to respond "new" otherwise (the conservative condition). In the other, the instructions were to respond new only when confident that this was the correct response (the liberal condition). The rationale for this approach was that the level of familiarity licensing an old response would be higher in the conservative than in the liberal condition, and if ERPs index familiarity, this would be reflected in changes to the putative ERP index. This index comprises relatively more positive-going neural activity for correct judgments to old than to new items, which is evident from 300 to 500 msec poststimulus at mid-frontal scalp locations. In keeping with task instructions, participants made more old responses in the liberal than in the conservative condition. There were reliable mid-frontal ERP old/new effects in both conditions, and the ERPs evoked by correct judgments to words in the conservative condition were relatively more positive-going than those in the liberal condition. This finding is consistent with the view that the mid-frontal ERP old/new effect indexes familiarity, and in combination with other ERP findings, provides strong support for dual-process accounts of recognition memory.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. HAN and I. G. DOBBINS Examining recognition criterion rigidity during testing using a biased-feedback technique: Evidence for adaptive criterion learning Mem Cognit, June 1, 2008; 36(4): 703 - 715. [Abstract] [PDF]

				K. A. NORMAN, K. TEPE, E. NYHUS, and T. CURRAN Event-related potential correlates of interference effects on recognition memory Psychon Bull Rev, February 1, 2008; 15(1): 36 - 43. [Abstract] [PDF]