Estimating the frequency of nonevents: The role of recollection failure infalse recognition

Participants studied lists of multiply presented converging associates (e.g ., bed, dream, pillow, etc.) and were timed as they estimated how often the y saw list items, related foils (e.g., blanket), and non-presented critical items (SLEEP). Average number of repetitions (few [3] vs, many [6]) and re petition variability (fixed vs. variable) were manipulated between subjects . Participants responded more slowly to critical items (3.18 sec) than to l ist items (2.45 sec) or foils (2.22 sec). In addition, critical-item judgme nts of frequency (JOFs) were about as large as list-item JOFs, and false re cognition (i.e., nonzero JOFs) of critical items was most likely in the few -fixed condition (96%) and least likely in the many-fixed condition (74%). These findings suggest that people can use recollection failure-We absence of an anticipated recollective experience, coupled with strong familiarity- to distinguish critical items from list items and that recollection failure is weighted most heavily when people expect familiar probes to access epis odic information.