An analysis of two prominent theories

Recognition memory is a particular aspect of memory that provides the ability for an individual to identify a previously encountered stimulus. There are two prominent theories as to how recognition memory operates. One theory proposes that there are two distinct processes involved in the recognition of a stimulus, called recollection and familiarity1. Another theory, however, denies the independence of the two processes within recognition memory. In this theory, familiarity is primarily thought of as a weak memory, whereas recollection is considered to be a type of strong memory.