Final answer:
Recognition is a memory retrieval process where a person identifies previously learned information when they encounter it again, such as in a multiple-choice test. It differs from recall, which requires retrieving information without cues, and is demonstrated when choosing the correct answer among several options.
Step-by-step explanation:
The measure of memory where a person only needs to identify items they have previously learned, such as on a multiple-choice test, is referred to as recognition. Recognition is one of the three ways to retrieve information from long-term memory, the other two being recall and relearning. In recognition, the process involves a comparison of new stimuli with stored information. For instance, during multiple-choice tests, you would use recognition to discern the correct answer from a set of options.
Well-known memory theories, such as Ebbinghaus's forgetting curve and Miller's review on short-term memory capacity, suggest that the amount of information we can hold or recall may vary. For example, the average person loses 50% of new information after 20 minutes according to Ebbinghaus's studies, while Miller found that the capacity of short-term memory is about 7 items, though this has been updated by later research to 4 items in working memory.