Status of recognition memory in amnesia.

The contribution of fluency and recollection to amnesics' recognition memory was examined by comparing performance in a condition in which patients were asked to include items presented in the 1st phase of the experiment with performance in a condition in which they were asked to exclude those same items. The performance of amnesics, unlike that of controls, did not significantly differ as a function of task instruction. Use of L. L. Jacoby's (1991) subtraction procedure indicated that amnesics were much less likely to use conscious recollection as a basis for recognition judgments. However, amnesics were as likely as controls to base their recognition judgment on the fluency with which an item came to mind. Discrepancies in previously reported recognition results with amnesics may reflect the variable contribution of fluency and recollection to recognition memory. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)