A Hippocampal Model of Recognition Memory

A rich body of data exists showing that recollection of specific information makesan important contribution to recognition memory, which is distinct from the contribution of familiarity, and is not adequately captured byexisting unitary memory models. Furthennore, neuropsychological evidence indicates that recollection is subserved by the hippocampus. We present a model, based largely on known features of hippocampal anatomy and physiology, that accounts for the following key characteristics ofrecollection: 1) false recollection is rare (i.e., participants rarely claim to recollect having studied nonstudied items), and 2) increasing interference leadsto less recollection but apparently does not compromise the quality of recollection (i.e., the extent to which recollected infonnation veridicallyreflects events that occurred at study).