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Relative fluency and illusions of recognition memory

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Abstract

A hallmark of the experience of perceptual fluency is the sense that a familiar stimulus seems to pop out from its background, such as when one notices the face of a friend in a crowd of strangers. This experience suggests that fluency-based illusions of recognition memory may be more powerful when there are only a few fluent stimuli presented in a recognition context. The results of the present study were consistent with this prediction. The magnitude of fluency-based illusions of recognition memory was inversely related to the percentage of fluent stimuli on a recognition test. Furthermore, standard fluency manipulations did not impact recognition responses in between-participants designs. The results suggest that illusions of recognition memory may be more powerful when fluency is encountered in a context in which the surrounding stimuli are less fluent.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, State University of New York, P.O. Box 6000, 13902, Binghamton, NY

    Deanne L. Westerman

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  1. Deanne L. Westerman
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Correspondence to Deanne L. Westerman.

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Westerman, D.L. Relative fluency and illusions of recognition memory. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 15, 1196–1200 (2008). https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.15.6.1196

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/PBR.15.6.1196

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