AP PSYCHOLOGY

Detailed explanation-1: -Recognition is easier than recall because it involves more cues: all those cues spread activation to related information in memory, raise the answer’s activation, and make you more likely to pick it.

Detailed explanation-2: -Recall is harder because it is long term memory activating old neural patterns, in a sense our brains have to search for matching neural patterns and it isn’t always 100% accurate. The brain wasn’t designed to be good at recalling facts.

Detailed explanation-3: -Recognition Memory Requires Less Brain Activity Than Recall.

Detailed explanation-4: -These data show that recall is higher than recognition when retrieval cues present at the recall test are more effective in providing access to stored information than are retrieval cues present at the recognition test.

Detailed explanation-5: -Recognition differs from recall in that during the test, the subject is presented with the material that is supposed to be remembered. Hence, in recall the individual must reconstruct the stimulus which is not present; in recognition information allowing one to differentiate or discriminate is given (Bettman 1979).