Response time and encoding strength: Moderating the choice similarity effect.

This article focuses on the choice similarity effect (CSE) in recognition memory, which shows that forced-choice decisions are more accurate but made with lower confidence when the distractor is similar to the target (A-A′) compared to when the distractor is similar to a different studied item (A-B′). Across multiple experiments, the CSE accuracy advantage for A-A′ pairs was strongest for the fastest responses and diminished or reversed for slower responses, supporting the view that similarity facilitates more efficient access to memory rather than increased elaborative processing. Additionally, the magnitude of the A-A′ advantage increased with stronger encoding, demonstrated by larger effects for items studied three times versus once. Confidence was consistently higher for A-B′ trials than A-A′ trials, especially for incorrect responses, a pattern explained by global matching models of recognition memory that incorporate diagnostic feature processing and response time dynamics.