Midazolam amnesia and dual-process models of the word-frequency mirror effect

Recognition memory and awareness: Occurrence of perceptual effects in remembering or in knowing depends on conscious resources at encoding, but not at retrieval

“…The present experiments confirm that this transfer of effects holds for perceptual study-test congruence, but there is evidence that at least some other effects do not show a similar transfer. Reducing the conscious resources available at encoding has been found to eliminate or even reverse the word frequency effect, for example (Balota, Burgess, Cortese, & Adams, 2002;Hirshman, Fisher, Henthorn, Arndt, & Passannante, 2002;Joordens & Hockley, 2000), which is another effect that normally occurs in remembering (Gardiner & Java, 1990). Gregg, Gardiner, Karayianni, and Konstantinou (2006) found that with a divided attention task very similar to that used in the present experiments, although the overall low-frequency advantage was eliminated, that effect persisted in remembering but was offset by a high-frequency advantage in know responses.…”

Super Memory Bros.: Going from mirror patterns to concordant patterns via similarity enhancements

“…These results follow completely from the dual-process view and have been confirmed independently via different manipulations of ability to recollect, including manipulations such as administration of Midazolam to induce temporary loss of recollective memory (Hirshman et al, 2002) and comparisons of patient populations who have more or less severe damage to their recollection processes (Balota et al, 2002).…”

Models of recognition: A review of arguments in favor of a dual-process account

“…These patients show a concordant pattern, so that high-frequency words produce both more hits and more false alarms than do low-frequency words. Also, when the drug midazolam, which induces temporary amnesia, has been administered to participants, they have shown a similar concordant pattern (Hirshman, Fisher, Henthorn, Arndt, & Passannante, 2002). Hirshman and Arndt (1997) demonstrated that the mirror effects resulting from the manipulation of word frequency did not occur when participants were asked to rate stimulus items' concreteness at study.…”

“…Additional evidence supporting this view comes from experiments that induced temporary anterograde amnesia, using the drug midazolam (Hirshman et al, 2002). They examined the word frequency mirror effect when half of the participants had induced amnesia.…”

“…The typical word frequency mirror effect was seen when the participants were injected with saline; however, the participants under the influence of midazolam produced a concordant pattern, so that there were more hits and false alarms to high-frequency words than to low-frequency words. It is thought that midazolam affects people's ability to recollect information from study but does not impair familiarity processes (Hirshman et al, 2002). In fact, midazolam produced large decrements on remember responses but had little effect on know responses (although the dependence between remember and know responses would tend to predict that know responses will increase with decreasing remember responses).…”