Revised Version of the Guessing-Strategy Hypothesis for the Bransford-Franks Paradigm

Abstract

The guessing-strategy hypothesis for the Bransford-Franks paradigm was tested by using both old and new items derived from concepts which differed in the number of elements each contained (“concept size”). Subjects clearly discriminated old from new items across sizes; moreover the pattern of recognition ratings for new items was approximately the inverse of ratings for old items. Since these findings did not accord with the guessing-strategy hypothesis, a revised version was offered which takes into account the ability of subjects to recognize specific items.