recognition, in psychology, a form of remembering characterized by a feeling of familiarity when something previously experienced is again encountered; in such situations a correct response can be identified when presented but may not be reproduced in the absence of such a stimulus. Recognizing a familiar face without being able to recall the person’s name is a common example. Recognition seems to indicate selective retention and forgetting of certain elements of experience. Controlled tests of recognition have been used by experimental psychologists since the late 19th century to give insight into the processes of human memory. Compare recall.