Associative recognition processes are modulated by the semantic unitizability of memoranda.

Although memory of episodic associations is generally considered to be recollective in nature, it has been suggested that when stimuli are experienced as a unit, familiarity processes might contribute to their subsequent associative recognition. To investigate the effect of semantic relatedness during episodic encoding on the processes of retrieval of associative information, we had participants interactively encode pairs of object pictures, vertically arranged so as to suggest a functional or configural relationship between them. Half the pairs were independently judged to be of related objects (e.

Is faster better? Effects of response deadline on ERP correlates of recognition memory in younger and older adults.

Aging studies generally suggest that recollection is impaired whereas familiarity-based recognition remains relatively preserved in healthy older adults. The present event-related potential (ERP) study explores whether age-related impairments in recognition memory can be reduced under conditions in which recognition decisions are primarily driven by familiarity. Old and young adults performed an item recognition task with perceptually rich visual stimuli.