Memory for frequency: A comparison of two multiple-trace theories.

Hintzman, Douglas L.; Grandy, Cheryl A.; Gold, Eric

doi:10.1037/0278-7393.7.4.231

Cited by 18 publications

(21 citation statements)

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“…However, such an assumption implies that the memory search is terminated as soon as all relevant traces have been retrieved, and such a self-terminating process would require either foreknowledge of the number of traces available or information that would act as a reliable stop cue (Hintzman et al, 1981).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…59-62), for example, argued that it is not clear what kinds of latency functions the multiple-trace and the proposition-encoding theories predict. Depending on the assumptions made, the multiple-trace theory would appear to be able to accommodate either an increase or a decrease in response time with frequency (Hintzman et al, 1981) The inability of the extant frequency theories to make specific predictions of latency functions does not diminish the potential importance of response time in the study of frequency discrimination. The measurement of response time may serve to provide limits on the nature of the assumptions that can be made for particular frequency theories and thus more clearly delineate the frequency theories.…”

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confidence: 99%

“…Voss, Vereb, and Bisanz (1975) found that the latency of absolute frequency judgments tended to be an inverted If-shaped function of frequency for frequencies varying from 2 to 32 presentations. Hintzman, Grandy, and Gold (1981) measured response time in a relative judgment of frequency task. They found that response time depended on the frequencies of both the chosen and the unchosen alternatives and that response time was longer the more similar were the frequencies of the two alternatives.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Retrieval of item frequency information in a continuous memory task

Hockley

1984

Memory & Cognition

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The accuracy and response latency of absolute frequency judgments were measured as a function of test lag (the number of intervening items between presentations of a test item) in a continuous memory task. Frequency was varied from one to three presentations in Experiments 1 and 2 and from one to five presentations in Experiment 3. The proportion of correct responses decreased as frequency increased, and correct mean response time tended to increase with frequency. Both accuracy and correct mean response time were found to be largely a function of the most recent test lag. The lag-latency functions were best described by piecewise linear functions, with the breakpoint occurring between lags 1 and 2. Continuous frequency estimation was also shown to improve with extended practice. The implications of the results are discussed with reference to trace strength, numerical-inference, and multiple-trace theories of frequency discrimination.Since Sternberg's (1966) now classic study, response time has become an important dependent variable in the study of retrieval processes in recognition. Response time has been measured in numerous recognition paradigms, and a variety of models have been developed to account for both the accuracy and the latency of recognition performance (e.g., Atkinson & Juola, 1973;Murdock & Anderson, 1975;Pike, Dalgleish, & Wright, 1977;Ratcliff, 1978).In contrast, studies that have investigated the storage and retrieval of item frequency information have not, in general, employed response time as a dependent variable. There are, however, two exceptions. Voss, Vereb, and Bisanz (1975) found that the latency of absolute frequency judgments tended to be an inverted If-shaped function of frequency for frequencies varying from 2 to 32 presentations. Hintzman, Grandy, and Gold (1981) measured response time in a relative judgment of frequency task. They found that response time depended on the frequencies of both the chosen and the unchosen alternatives and that response time was longer the more similar were the frequencies of the two alternatives. Also, in contrast to the results of Voss et al., Howell (1973a) suggested that the measurement of response time for frequency judgments might serve to distinguish between theories of frequency discrimination. However, these theories are not, as yet, sufficiently precise to enable predictions concerning response latency. Hintzman (1976, pp. 59-62), for example, argued that it is not clear what kinds of latency functions the multiple-trace and the proposition-encoding theories predict. Depending on the assumptions made, the multiple-trace theory would appear to be able to accommodate either an increase or a decrease in response time with frequency (Hintzman et al., 1981) The inability of the extant frequency theories to make specific predictions of latency functions does not diminish the potential importance of response time in the study of frequency discrimination. The measurement of response time may serve to provide limits on the nature of the assumptions ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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confidence: 99%

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Retrieval of item frequency information in a continuous memory task

Hockley

1984

Memory & Cognition

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“…In a more recent study, Jurado, Junque, Pujol, Oliver, and Vendrell (1997) showed that frontal-lobedamaged patients had a similar impairment in estimating the frequency ofoccurrence of words within a list, yet item recognition for those same words remained intact. It has been suggested that frequency judgments require a search through memory for temporal information (Hintzman, Grandy, & Gold, 1981;Hintzman, Nozawa, & Irmscher, 1982;Milner et aI., 1985);that is, one needs to search one's memory for each specific instance of a specific item. In summary, it appears that the prefrontal cortex in humans and the medial prefrontal cortex in the rat mediate memory for frequency, further supporting the importance of prefrontal cortex and hippocampus in mediating temporal order information.…”

Section: Memory For Temporal Order-humansmentioning

confidence: 99%

Neural mediation of memory for time: Role of the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex

Kesner

1998

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

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Within the context of the neurobiology of attribute model, memory for the temporal attribute is composed of at least three features-memory for duration, memory for succession, or temporal order, and memory for past and future time perspective within a dual-based (data and knowledge) memory system. Research aimed at testing the assumption that the hippocampus and interconnected neural circuits mediate the temporal attribute within the data-based memory system and the prefrontal cortex and interconnected neural circuits mediate the temporal attribute within the knowledge-based memory system in animals and humans is reviewed. The research indicates that (1) memory for the duration feature of the temporal attribute is mediated by the hippocampus, but not prefrontal cortex, in both animals and humans, (2) memory for the temporal order feature of the temporal attribute based on new information is subserved by both the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex, but that based on prior knowledge or the ability to use prior knowledge is supported only by prefrontal cortex, and not the hippocampus, in both animals and humans, and (3) memory for the past (time perspective) feature of the temporal attribute is mediated by the hippocampus, whereas memory for the future (time perspective) feature of the temporal attribute is supported by the prefrontal cortex in both animals and humans. There is a clear parallel between animals and humans in terms of hippocampal and prefrontal cortex mediation of the temporal attribute, supporting the assumption of evolutionary continuity. There is support for a greater involvement of the hippocampus in comparison with the prefrontal cortex in mediating temporal attribute information within the data-based memory system. Conversely, there is support for a greater involvement of the prefrontal cortex in comparison with the hippocampus in mediating temporal attribute information within the knowledge-based memory system. Future research needs to concentrate on the development of new paradigms to measure memory for different temporal features and to uncover the critical neural circuits that subserve these temporal features,The structure and utilization of memory is central to one's knowledge of the past, interpretation of the present, and prediction of the future. Therefore, understanding the structural and process components of memory systems at the psychological and neurobiological levels is of paramount importance. In recent years, there have been a number of attempts to divide learning and memory into multiple memory systems. Schacter and Tulving (1994) have suggested that one needs to define memory systems in terms of the kind of information to be represented, the processes associated with the operation of each system, and the neurobiological substrates, including neural structures and mechanisms that subserve each system. Furthermore, it is likely that within each system there are multiple forms or subsystems associated with each memory system, and there are likely to be multiple processes that ...

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“…Theoretical support for the second hypothesis-that forgetting rates in the two tasks should be the same-can be found in Underwood's (1971) proposal that recognition memory is based on the frequency attribute and in the multiple-trace theory of memory proposed by Hintzman (1976;Hintzman, Grandy, & Gold, 1981).…”

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confidence: 83%

A comparison of forgetting rates in frequency discrimination and recognition

Hintzman

Stern

1984

Bull. Psychon. Soc.

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In two experiments on memory for pictures, a frequency-discrimination task was used to determine whether recognition decisions display slower forgetting than do discriminations among frequencies greater than O. Experiment 1 compared frequency discriminations of 1-0 (recognition), 2-1, 4-1, and 4-2 and tested retention over an interval of 1 week. Experiment 2 added another recognition condition (2-0) and extended retention to 2 weeks. Neither experiment showed evidence for differential forgetting. The outcome is consistent with the hypothesis that the information underlying recognition memory and memory for frequency is qualitatively the same.Are judgments of presentation frequency and judgments of recognition memory based on the same kind of remembered information? Intuitively , it seems they may not be-especially if the to-be-remembered items were initially unfamiliar. With such materials, a recognition judgment could be based simply on the feeling that the test item is familiar , whereas an accurate frequency judgment seems to require access to information of a more specific and qualititatively different kind . We are concerned here with the question of whether a qualitative difference in the kind of information underlying these two tasks might be reflected in forgetting rates . Specifically, this study contrasts two hypotheses : (I) that forgetting is slower in recognition memory than in memory for frequency, and (2) that the two forgetting rates are the same.Some theoretical flesh might be put on the first hypothesis by invoking the distinction between generic memory-for abstract, general knowledge-and episodic memory-for specific, autobiographical experiences. This basic distinction has been made under various labels by a number of authors (see Hermann, 1982). Memory for frequency , like that for other details of presentation (e .g., modality, context, recency) is inherently episodic . On the other hand, a feeling of familiarity, in the absence of awareness of such details, could be considered a reflection of generic memory. If information in episodic memory is more easily lost than that in generic memory , as Tulving (1972Tulving ( , 1983 suggested, then the forgetting rate shown by a particular task should depend on the This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant BNS-7824987. Requests for reprints should be sent to Douglas L. Hintzman, Department of Psychology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403 . relative weights given by that task to generic and episodic information . Thus, if recognition memory relies more on the general feeling of familiarity and less on episodic information than does memory for frequency, then recognition performance should display slower forgetting than is shown by frequency discrimination.

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Memory for frequency: A comparison of two multiple-trace theories.

Cited by 18 publications

References 16 publications

Retrieval of item frequency information in a continuous memory task

Retrieval of item frequency information in a continuous memory task

Neural mediation of memory for time: Role of the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex

A comparison of forgetting rates in frequency discrimination and recognition

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