Investigating the attentional demands of recognition memory: Manipulating depth of encoding at study and level of attention at test

Abstract

Two experiments investigated the effects of divided attention at test after manipulating levels of processing at study. In Experiment 1 items were studied either intact or as anagrams. In Experiment 2 items were studied with either full or divided attention (DA). In both experiments participants carried out a recognition test with either full or divided attention. Analysis of remember and know responses revealed that DA at test had no effect on remember responses to anagrams or to items studied with full attention. In contrast, Know responses decreased with DA at test, and this occurred for items studied in both deep and shallow encoding conditions. The present study confirms recent findings (Knott & Dewhurst, 2007a) that knowing can rely on more controlled retrieval processes, whereas remembering can rely on more automatic retrieval processes. Differences in the controlled processes associated with recollection and familiarity and remember and know responses are discussed.

Keywords:

• Recognition memory
• Recollection and familiarity
• Retrieval processes

Acknowledgements

This research was conducted as part of the first author's PhD. LK was supported by a teaching studentship awarded by the Department of Psychology at Lancaster University.