Word frequency and receiver operating characteristic curves in recognition memory: evidence for a dual-process interpretation.

Full Abstract

Dual-process models of the word-frequency mirror effect posit that low-frequency words are recollected more often than high-frequency words, producing the hit rate differences in the word-frequency effect, whereas high-frequency words are more familiar, producing the false-alarm-rate differences. In this pair of experiments, the authors demonstrate that the analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves provides critical information in support of this interpretation. Specifically, when participants were required to discriminate between studied nouns and their plurality reversed complements, the ROC curve was accurately described by a threshold model that is consistent with recollection-based recognition. Further, the plurality discrimination ROC curves showed characteristics consistent with the interpretation that participants recollected low-frequency items more than high-frequency items.

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Author information

Author/s: Arndt, Jason (J); Reder, Lynne M (LM);

Affiliation: Department of Psychology, Carnegie Mellon University, USA. jarndt@middlebury.edu

Grants: 5-T32-MH19983 (Agency:United States NIMH) ; R01 MH052808-07 (Agency:United States NIMH) ; T32 MH019983-05 (Agency:United States NIMH)

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; Journal Article; Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

Journal: Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition (J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Sep; vol 28 (issue 5) : pp 830-42

Dates: Created 2002/09/10; Completed 2003/03/20; Revised 2008/06/24;

PMID: 12219793, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 11/6/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Association Learning - physiology
Discrimination Learning
Female
Humans
Male
Memory - physiology

Mental Processes - physiology
Models, Psychological
ROC Curve
Recognition (Psychology) - physiology
Verbal Learning
Vocabulary

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