Re-examining dissociations between remembering and knowing: Binary judgments vs. independent ratings

When participants must classify their recognition experiences as remembering or knowing, variables often have dissociative effects on the two judgments. In contrast, when participants independently rate recollection and familiarity only parallel effects have been reported. To investigate this discrepancy we compared the effects of masked priming at test (Experiment 1), and levels-of-processing (LOP) at study (Experiment 2), on recollection and familiarity using both binary judgment and independent-rating methods. With binary judgments, repetition priming selectively increased familiarity, and deeper LOP increased recollection but decreased familiarity. Independent ratings were positively correlated, and priming and LOP both increased recollection and familiarity. This pattern occurred even when each rating was made by a separate group to prevent rating cross-contamination. Thus, how recognition experiences are measured can influence whether dissociations between recollection and familiarity are found. Our findings have implications for the measurement of recognition experiences and for current accounts of recognition memory.

► Measured recollection and familiarity using binary judgments and independent ratings.
► Manipulated masked priming at test or level of processing at study.
► Binary judgments led to dissociations, independent ratings led to parallel effects.
► Independent ratings were correlated but were not cross-contaminated.
► Independent ratings are preferable and support single-process recognition accounts.