Recognition memory impacts day-to-day social interactions.
Failing to recognize someone you’ve met before may lead to
an awkward conversation, especially if the other person rec-
ognizes you. You might also forget that you’ve gone over
details of a business deal with a client, appearing unorganized
when presenting them as new. People influence how we
remember words, pictures, and other people (Wright et al.
2008; Wright et al. 2005). Despite the role recognition mem-
ory plays in navigating our environments, research consider-
ing the processes underlying recognition decisions has largely
been conducted in non-social contexts (e.g., Eichenbaum et al.
2007; Yonelinas, 2002; Yonelinas & Parks, 2007).