When confidence reveals more than recognition performance does: The case of context load.

Abstract

Context in which events are embedded is often hypothesized to serve as an independent cue for retrieval. This means that any effects of context need to obey two basic principles of cue-dependent memory: Memory retrieval should be augmented when, first, encoding context is reinstated and, second, this context uniquely specifies individual items stored in memory. Both of these regularities are well supported for recall tests, but they remain contentious in recognition tests. Here, in three experiments, we assess whether unique and nonunique contexts affect memory processes when reinstated during recognition. However, rather than focusing on measures of recognition performance, we looked at confidence judgments collected during recognition that should be particularly sensitive to recollective effects resulting from context cuing. Experiments 1 and 2, using old/new and forced-choice recognition tests, respectively, documented positive effects of context reinstatement on confidence in correct recognition identifications, but only for contexts uniquely associated with individual items. These effects emerged even when there were no reliable context effects in recognition performance measures. Experiment 3 showed the same effect of context reinstatement, moderated by context load, when spontaneous recognition of a previous study episode occurred during restudy. These results demonstrate the role of context as an independent retrieval cue both in deliberate and spontaneous recognition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).