Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2000 Sep;28(6):923-38.
doi: 10.3758/bf03209340.

Brain potentials of recollection and familiarity

T Curran  1
Affiliations

Brain potentials of recollection and familiarity

T Curran. Mem Cognit. 2000 Sep.

Abstract

It is widely hypothesized that separate recollection and familiarity processes contribute to recognition memory. The present research measured event-related brain potentials (ERPs) from 128 head locations to identify patterns of brain activity related to recollection and familiarity. In two experiments, subjects performed a recognition memory task requiring discrimination between previously studied words, similar words that changed plurality between study and test, and new words (following Hintzman & Curran, 1994). The FN400 ERP component (300-500 msec) varied with the familiarity of words (new > studied = similar). The parietal component (400-800 msec) was associated with the recollection of plurality (studied > similar = new). Differences in the timing and spatial topography of the FN400 and parietal effects support the view that familiarity and recollection arise from distinct neurocognitive processes.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Science. 1980 Jan 11;207(4427):203-5 - PubMed
    1. J Cogn Neurosci. 1999 May;11(3):235-60 - PubMed
    1. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1998 Jan;24(1):3-26 - PubMed
    1. Conscious Cogn. 1998 Mar;7(1):1-26 - PubMed
    1. J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 1989 Sep;15(5):846-58 - PubMed

Publication types