Priorities in item recognition

The Sternberg paradigm was used to examine item recognition in the experiments reported here. Functions relating reaction time to positive set size and relating reaction time to the serial position of positive targets were discussed within the context of Sternberg’s (1969) recognition model. The experiments were designed to test (a) the hypothesis that certain members of the positive set receive preferential processing and (b) the hypothesis that some members of the negative set are compared to the target in memory. The results of both experiments supported the first hypothesis, and the results of Experiment I supported the second hypothesis. Models generally consistent with these results were discussed.