Dissociating recollection from familiarity: electrophysiological evidence that familiarity for faces is associated with a posterior old/new effect.

Full Abstract

In recognition memory research, a tension exists between dual-process and single-process models of episodic retrieval. Dual-process models propose that 'familiarity' assessment and the 'recollection' of contextual information are independent processes, while single-process models claim that one common process supports retrieval. Event-related potentials (ERPs) have been used to show dissociations between the mid frontal and the left parietal ERP old/new effects, which have been associated with familiarity and recollection, respectively. While much ERP evidence favours dual-process theory, Yovel and Paller [Yovel, G., Paller, K.A., 2004. The neural basis of the butcher-on-the-bus phenomenon:
when a face seems familiar but is not remembered. NeuroImage 21, 789-800] used faces as retrieval cues to demonstrate that posterior old/new effects index both familiarity and recollection, a finding consistent with single-process models. Here we present evidence supporting Yovel and Paller's claim that a posterior old/new effect indexes familiarity for faces, along with a novel finding that recollection is associated with an anterior old/new effect. Importantly, and in contrast to Yovel and Paller, the old/new effects associated with familiarity and recollection were topographically dissociable, consistent with a dual-process view of recognition memory. The neural correlates of familiarity and recollection identified here for faces appear to be different from those typically observed, suggesting that the ERP old/new effects associated with episodic recognition are not the same under all circumstances.

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Author information

Author/s: MacKenzie, Graham (G); Donaldson, David I (DI);

Affiliation: Psychological Imaging Laboratory, Department of Psychology, University of Stirling, Stirling, FK9 4LA, UK. d.g.mackenzie(-atsign-)stir.ac.uk

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

Journal: NeuroImage (Neuroimage), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2007-Jun; vol 36 (issue 2) : pp 454-63

Dates: Created 2007/05/14; Completed 2007/07/18;

PMID: 17451972, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 12/26/2008)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

Comments and Corrections

CommentIn: Neuroimage. 2007 Jun;36(2):488-9. (PMID: 17481924)

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MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Adolescent
Adult
Deja Vu
Dissociative Disorders - physiopathology
Electrophysiology - methods
Evoked Potentials - physiology
Face

Female
Humans
Male
Mental Recall - physiology
Parietal Lobe - physiology
Pattern Recognition, Visual - physiology
Recognition (Psychology) - physiology

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