How does retrieval take place in recognition memory? A number of computational models have been developed that posit that recognition operates by a process of global matching, wherein the cue is compared to each stored memory. These cue-to-memory similarities are then aggregated to produce an index of the global similarity between the cue and the contents of memory which can then be subjected to a decision process. In this chapter, we describe a.) the theoretical rationale and successes of such models, such as their accounts of similarity and list-length effects and generalization to multiple memory tasks, b.) challenges and hurdles they have experienced, including the null list-strength effect, the mirror effect, and the extralist feature effect, and c.) recent developments, such as extensions to predictions about response latency, sources of interference outside of the study list, and integration of more realistic representations.

In episodic memory research, there is a debate concerning whether decision-making in recognition and source memory is better explained by models than assume discrete cognitive states, or by models that assume continuous underlying strengths. One aspect in which these classes of models differ is their predictions regarding the ability to retrieve contextual details (or source details) of an experienced event, given that the event itself is not recognized. Discrete state models predict that when items are unrecognized, source retrieval is not possible and only guess responses can be elicited. In contrast, models assuming continuous strengths predict that it is possible to retrieve the source of unrecognized items (albeit with low accuracy). Empirically, there have been numerous studies reporting either chance accuracy or above-chance accuracy for source memory in the absence of recognition. For instance, studies presenting recognition and source judgments for the same item in immediate succession have revealed chance-level accuracy, while studies presenting a block of recognition judgments followed by a block of source judgments have revealed slightly above-chance accuracy. In the present investigation, data from two novel experiments involving multiple design manipulations were investigated using a hierarchical Bayesian signal detection model. Across most conditions it was shown that source accuracy for unrecognized items was slightly above chance. It is suggested that findings of a null effect in the prior literature may be attributable to design elements that hinder source memory as a whole, and to high degrees of uncertainty in the participant-level source data when conditioned on unrecognized items.

Episodic memory involves remembering not only what happened but also the context of the event such as where and when it happened. This multi-component nature of episodic memory introduces different sources of interference, each of which may cause forgetting or memory distortions. However, it is unclear how different sources of interference change across development and what causes the changes. Here, we tested 4-5-year-olds, 7-8-year-olds, and adults in a series of recognition tasks with a comprehensive set of manipulations, and decomposed different sources of interference using a computational model. Results showed that interference stemming from other items during study rapidly decreases early in development, while interference from pre-experimental contexts gradually decreases throughout adulthood and remains as the major source of interference. The model accounts for this change through an early development in the ability to discriminate items and a more gradual development in the ability to discriminate contexts.