Abstract

This study investigates the influence of confidence ratings during recognition decisions using a novel double-test paradigm through three experiments. Under this paradigm, all the recognition probes during the first test (hit, correct rejection, false alarm, and miss trials) are retested for recognition (along with a new set of lures) during an immediate second test. Consistent with predictions of signal detection theory (SDT), data demonstrated that the confidence of Test 1 hits positively correlated with both Test 2 recognition accuracy and confidence. However, SDT failed to account for the behavior of correct rejections. Specifically, SDT predicts that confidence during Test 1 for correct rejections should be anti-predictive of Test 2 recognition and its accompanying confidence. This is because confidence reflects the strength of evidence of prior occurrence. Thus, reporting high certainty that an item is new during the first test should exhibit lower recognition accuracy and confidence in Test 2 compared to reporting an item is new with low confidence. Hence, items confidently identified as new should be harder to subsequently recognize (and less confidently recognized) than items identified as new with low certainty. Contrary to this prediction, Test 1 confidence for correct rejections showed no systematic relationship with Test 2 recognition success and was positively correlated with Test 2 confidence. Experiment 3 tested the hypothesis that distinctiveness heuristics—subjective memorability—contribute to these deviations from SDT. Results demonstrated that high-confidence correct rejections often relied on subjective memorability assessments, enhancing their subsequent recognizability. These findings challenge traditional SDT assumptions and highlight the influence of distinctiveness heuristics on confidence and recognition.

Committee Chair

Ian G. Dobbins

Committee Members

Richard Abrams 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

Winter 12-17-2024

Language

English (en)

Author's ORCID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0125-8276

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Psychology Commons

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