a mechanistic strongaccountstrong of themirror effect for word frequency.pdf

Jemnal of ExperimentalPsychology: Copyright2000 by theAmericanPsychologicalAssoc~ttion,Inc. ~ , M e m o r y , andCogfition 0278-7393/00/$5.00 DOI: 10.1037//0278-7393.26.2.294 2000,Vol. 26, No. 2, 294-320 A Mechanistic Account of theMirror Effect for Word Frequency: A Computational of Remember- ow Judgments in a Continuous Recognition Paradigm L y n n e M. Reder, A d i s a c k N h o u y v a n i s v o n g , Christian D. S ch u n n , M i c h a e l S. A y e , P a i g e Angstadt, a nd K a z u o H ira k i Carnegie Mellon University A theoretical account of the mirror effectfor word frequency and of dissociations in the pattern of responding Remember vs. Know (R vs. K) for low- and high-freqnency words was tested both empirically and computationally by comlmring predicted with observed data theory in 3 experiments. The SAC (Source of Activation Confusion) theory of memory makes the novel prediction of more K responses for high- than for low-freqnency words, for both old and new items. Two experiments used a continuous presentation andjudgment paradigm that presented words up to 10times. The computer simulation closely modeled the pattern of results, fitting new Know and Remember patterns of responding at each level of experimental presentation and for both levels of word frequency for each participant. Experiment 3 required list