Learning about frequency on the fly: Recent experience changes strategies regarding linguistic frequency in recognition memory.
In the present study, the author examines whether participants can adjust recognition response strategies to account for the effects of linguistic frequency. Experiment 1 used a counterfeit-list technique to replicate findings that indicate that participants exhibit a bias toward choosing high-frequency lures. Experiment 2 demonstrates that when participants are exposed to a training phase that includes an opportunity to recognize high- and low-frequency words, participants no longer demonstrate a significant bias toward choosing high-frequency items on the counterfeit list task. Experiments 3 and 4 examine how participants learn to adjust for linguistic frequency by manipulating the information available during training. The results demonstrate that participants use information from the training phase indicating that high word frequency is a good cue to oldness to guide their memory decisions during the counterfeit list task, but do not use training phase information indicating that low frequency is the best cue to oldness in a similar fashion.
Miller
Jeremy K
JK
Willamette University, Psychology, 900 State Street, Salem, OR 97301, USA. millerj@willamette.edu
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003463:Cues; D006801:Humans; D011578:Psycholinguistics; D021641:Recognition, Psychology; D014481:United States; D014706:Verbal Learning