Dual Process Theory Paper

The dual process theory suggests that there are two different modes of processing (Evans, 2008). This theory and its components have been debated across many fields of psychology; including cognitive, social, as well as the neuroscience field. The dual process theory suggests that there are two types of thinking; one fast and intuitive, while the second is slow and deliberative (Evans & Stanovich, 2013). Both types of thinking have a variety of definitions that are used throughout research including reflexive and impulsive for the first type of thinking, with reflective and controlled being used for the second type of thinking (Lieberman, 2003; Strack & Deustch, 2004; Schneuider & Schiffrin, 1977). This theory has been met with some criticism, with researchers arguing that a dual system

I am interested in the role of this dual process theory in the field of neuroscience; specifically with regards to the hippocampus and memory.
In the neuroscience field, there is a general consensus that there are two distinct operations that occur during memory tasks; recollection and familiarity. Recollection is defined as consciously remembering an experience (Mandler, 1980), and familiarity is defined as the feeling of a previous encounter with the stimulus without any other details (Tulving, 1985). The debate lies in deciding whether these two processes are mediated by specific circuits, or whether they are mediated by a more declarative memory system (Turriziani et al., 2008). The debate focuses on the role of the medial temporal lobe, which includes the hippocampal formation, as well as the entorhinal, perihinal and parahipocampal cortices (Squire & Zola-Morgan, 1991). Supporters of the dual-process theory claim that the hippocampus is primarily useful for