Memory for names and faces: a fair comparison

Comparison between recognition memory for materials drawn from different stimulus classes has been hazardous because of unavoidable variation in the similarity of director sets involved. The present study attempts to make a more equitable comparison between memory for names and faces by employing both distractor-free and conventional recognition tests. University undergraduates viewed slides of names or faces and subsequently attempted to identify those they had seen earlier. The interaction between stimulus class and type of recognition test was significant. It is suggested that the frequently reported superiority of memory for faces as compared with names may be an artifact of the distractors used in these tests.