Response bias and the process-dissociation procedure

Two different approaches for treating response bias in the process-dissociation procedure were assessed: a multinomial approach proposed by A. Buchner, E. Erdfelder, and B. Vaterrodt-Plunnecke (1995) and a dual-process, signal-detection approach proposed by A. P. Yonelinas, G. Regehr, and L. L. Jacoby (1995). The authors examined data presented by Buchner et al. and found that, although the signal-detection-based model worked slightly better than the multinomial model, the data did not provide a strong test of either model. However, an examination of other recognition data showed that the multinomial model produced distorted estimates of recollection and familiarity, and it was unable to account for observed receiver operating characteristics (ROCs). In contrast, the dual-process, signal-detection model produced unbiased estimates and was able to account for the observed ROCs. The authors also provide an overview of the general controversy surrounding the process-dissociation approach.