Event-related Potential Correlates of the Word Frequency Effect in Recognition Memory
Date
2011
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Haverford College. Department of Psychology
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Thesis
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Award
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eng
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Haverford users only
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Abstract
The main objective of the current investigation was to examine the influences of word frequency in event-related potentials (ERPs) of recognition. We first aimed to replicate findings that ERP traces dissociate recognition into its subcomponents: recollection and familiarity. Our behavioral results exhibited the low frequency word advantage typically observed in recognition memory: enhanced accuracy to low frequency words. ERPs were analyzed by comparing average activity of hits to misses (encoding), main effects of response type (remember/familiar) and frequency (high/low) as well as interaction effects. At encoding, no subsequent memory effects were established in the predicted left-inferior prefrontal region. At retrieval, recollection responses produced significant effects at parietal sites (400-800 ms). We did not establish recognition (familiarity) or frequency differences at frontal sites (300-500 ms). A tertiary analysis should be applied to the current data to assess lateralized activity at frontal sites. Because our behavioral replication of the low frequency advantage was robust, the non significant ERP results in this sample do not disqualify the potential for word-frequency effects in electrophysiological memory traces.