Recognition memory and affective preference for depth-rotated solid objects: Part-based structural descriptions may underlie the mere exposure effect

Following Biederman and Gerhardstein (1993) and Srinivas (1995), we tested whether different representations are necessary to describe explicit and im plicit memory performance for depth-rotated solid objects in the mere expos ure paradigm. Subjects were presented with novel three-dimensional objects, followed by an explicit recognition memory or an implicit affective prefer ence test. In Experiment I, recognition memory but not affective preference was impaired by an 80 degrees depth rotation of the objects between study and test. In Experiment 2, when subjects had to discriminate between 0 degr ees and 80 degrees views of previously studied objects, recognition memory was greater than chance but affective performance was not. These findings i mply that the representations used for recognition memory coded depth orien tation information, whereas those used for affective preference did not. Th e results are discussed in terms of viewpoint-specific and viewpoint-invari ant representations for explicit and implicit memory.