METAMEMORY, DISTINCTIVENESS, AND EVENT-RELATED POTENTIALS IN RECOGNITION MEMORY FOR FACES

A neglected topic in metamemory research is the ability of subjects to predict their own recognition performance for faces. We investigated whether subjects can make such judgments of learning (JOL) for unfamil iar faces and whether JOLs relate to facial distinctiveness, a powerfu l determinant of face recognition. One group of subjects made JOLs, an d a second group rated the same faces for distinctiveness; subsequentl y, both groups tried to recognize these faces among new faces. There w as significant prospective metamemory for faces that appeared to be ba sed on facial distinctiveness. Both prospective metamemory and distinc tiveness ratings related to long-lasting effects in event-related brai n potentials (ERPs), closely resembling an ERP component that predicte d face recognition. Therefore, the brain processes underlying JOLs, di stinctiveness, and recognition memory for faces appears to be intimate ly related.