Dr. Wixted's research is concerned with the understanding of episodic memory. Much of his work investigates the cognitive mechanisms that underlie recognition memory, often using signal detection theory as a guide. A related line of research investigates how episodic memory is represented in the human hippocampus, work that is based mainly on single-unit recording studies performed with epilepsy patients. In recent years, his research has also investigated the applied implications of signal detection-based models of recognition memory. The main focus of this line of research is on the reliability of eyewitness memory.