SPEED ACCURACY TRADE-OFFS AND THE DUAL PROCESS MODEL OF RECOGNITION MEMORY

The classical dual process model posits rapid perceptual fluency and s lower recall-like search as alternative bases of recognition memory. B ecause the time course of these two retrieval processes is assumed to differ, we examined the time course of two variables, modality match b etween study and test and levels-of-processing, which are hypothesized to index the effects of fluency and search, respectively. The time co urse of retrieval was examined using speeded vs non-speeded recognitio n memory tests (Experiment 1) and the response-signal paradigm (Experi ments 2 and 3). Contrary to the predictions of the dual process model, the results of all three experiments were well fit by a model which a ssumed a single retrieval process with no differences in time course b etween the modality match and levels-of-processing variables. These re sults call into question the necessity of a dual process account of th ese variables. (C) 1995 Academic Press, Inc.