Generation Recognition Hypothesis Essay

In this paper, we examine the “generation-recognition” hypothesis (Tulving & Thomson, 1973), which argues that the retrieval of information previously encoded is best met through recognition, which operates on overlapping stages of processing. The first is the generation of alternative items, and the second is recognition of the most closely related item within that group of items. The typical purpose for such experiments has been to compare the effectiveness of recognition to recall in accurate information retrieval. In a partial conceptual replication of Tulving & Thomson’s experiment, we examine alternative conditions that demonstrate greater depth into the components involved in the two different processes that account for memory retrieval as a cognitive function. The results appear in line with Tulving & Thomson’s critique of the generation-recognition hypothesis, and support previous findings that recall yields better results in accurate retrieval of information than does recognition.
One way in which recognition and recall affect how we come to store information in the brain is through encoding. Encoding is an important cognitive ability, which allows us to learn, experience, and translate stimuli into information that we can store for later use. However, the full relationship between encoding and retrieval has yet to be fully conceptualized. Particularly, in areas questioning processes that facilitate the retrieval of previously encoding information. For example, how are cognitive processes of recognition and recall similar or different from one another, and are they both involved in the retrieval of information? What aspects are involved in the encoding of information and how does that effect the retrieval of that information later