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Explaining Recollection Without Remembering

Recollection without remembering is a counterintuitive phenomenon that violates a traditional assumption of source memory models—namely, that accurate item memory is a necessary precondition for remembering source details that accompanied an item’s presentation. The dual-recollection model explains recollection without remembering as a by-product of the contrasting effects of target and context recollection on item tests versus source tests. We pitted that explanation against 2 others that preserve the traditional assumption, one based on hypothesized testing artifacts and the other derived from multivariate signal detection theory. Our experiments focused on a manipulation that, according to dual-recollection theory, should drive source memory and item memory in opposite directions. In 2 experiments, studied items were tagged with 3 source details (voice gender, taxonomic category, and list), such that either (a) the 3 details were consistent with each other or (b) 1 detail was inconsistent with the other 2. As predicted, source memory was better but item memory was worse when source details were consistent with each other. The recollection without remembering effect was observed in both experiments, and as predicted by dual-recollection theory, it was more robust when item memory was worse than when it was better. A further instance of recollection without remembering was detected that involved distractors rather than presented items.