Abstract
It is widely hypothesized that separate recollection and familiarity processes contribute to recognition memory. The present research measured event-related brain potentials (ERPs) from 128 head locations to identify patterns of brain activity related to recollection and familiarity. In two experiments, subjects performed a recognition memory task requiring discrimination between previously studied words, similar words that changed plurality between study and test, and new words (following Hintzman & Curran, 1994). The FN400 ERP component (300–500 msec) varied with the familiarity of words (new>studied = similar). The parietal component (400–800 msec) was associated with the recollection of plurality (studied > similar = new). Differences in the timing and spatial topography of the FN400 and parietal effects support the view that familiarity and recollection arise from distinct neurocognitive processes.
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The present research was supported by a W. P. Jones Faculty Development Award from Case Western Reserve University, a Research Initiation Grant from CWRU, and a grant from the McDonnell-Pew Program in Cognitive Neuroscience.
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Curran, T. Brain potentials of recollection and familiarity. Memory & Cognition 28, 923–938 (2000). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209340
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03209340