Abstract

The False Positive Feedback (FPF) manipulation encourages certain recognition errors by inducing either liberal (lax) or conservative (strict) recognition memory decision biases. FPF manipulation involves trial-by-trial probabilistic positive feedback for commission or omission errors while the other stimulus class always received fully correct feedback during testing. We investigated whether these learned biases are restricted to the stimulus class triggering FPF, or whether they instead spread to an intermixed class receiving valid feedback, by selectively delivering FPF to words or pictures. A spreading bias would suggest that subjects learn to be liberal or conservative in interpreting recognition evidence in general during the testing context (general recognition bias). A restricted bias, however, would indicate a specialized form of learning tied to each class’s unique features (feature-specific bias). In Experiment 1, FPF applied to pictures yielded selective biases that did not spread to intermixed words (FPF applied to words was ineffective). In Experiment 2, FPF applied to words yielded selective biases that did not spread to pictures (FPF applied to pictures was ineffective). These results suggested that biases occurred in a feature-specific manner. Questionnaire data indicated that subjects were unaware of feedback’s purpose and stimulus selective nature, suggesting that recognition decision biases can be unintentionally acquired and yet specific to one of two classes of encountered memoranda.

Committee Chair

Ian G. Dobbins

Committee Members

Henry Roediger Zachariah Reagh

Degree

Master of Arts (AM/MA)

Author's Department

Psychology

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Thesis

Date of Award

Spring 5-2024

Language

English (en)

Author's ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8252-2416

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