RETRIEVAL CONSTRAINTS AND THE MIRROR EFFECT

Six experiments tested the hypothesis that the mirror effect in recognition memory reflects a deliberate, postretrieval assessment of the test item's memorability. Both word frequency and concreteness were varied, and constraints at retrieval were manipulated in 2 ways: Three experiments compared recognition tested either alone or while performing a secondary task, and 3 experiments used the response-signal method to control recognition processing time. Contrary to the hypothesis, the mirror effect was not eliminated or attenuated by either kind of retrieval constraint. Moreover, both retrieval manipulations induced mirror effects of their own. Current recognition-memory theories appear inadequate to explain the results. It is suggested that the mirror effect be related to the full range of patterns of hits and false alarms, and that these 2 measures routinely be supplemented by measures of discriminability and bias.