Recognition memory for nonobject drawings

Abstract

Following a procedure similar to Shepard’s (1967), 39 subjects studied 80 nonobject drawings for 2 or 6 sec each. The drawings had been previously rated for object-like appearance following the procedure by Kroll and Potter (1984). Recognition of the studied items was tested by showing 80 drawings one at a time: 40 selected from the 80 in the study set and 40 new drawings. Both sets had an equal number of drawings rated low, medium, or high in object likeness. The subjects responded “old” or “new” and gave confidence ratings immediately and 24 h later. A subset of 18 old drawings from the study set was selected to be named by subjects following the delayed test. Recognition data showed that memory was better for the drawings that had been shown at the longer study duration and were more object-like. A measure of name agreement was found to be correlated with object-like appearance, showing higher name agreement for more object like drawings. Relationships among object likeness, name agreement, and memorability of nonobject drawings are discussed. © 1989, Psychonomic Society, Inc.. All rights reserved.