Objective To investigate cross-cultural differences in picture recognition memory of medical students. Methods Picture recognition memory were assessed by the classic new-old picture recognition,and behavioral results were recorded during the test. Results For new medical picture recognition, mean accuracy of Chinese medical students( 83.21 ± 8.95 )% was considerably higher than that of Indian medical students( 75.56 ±12.63)% (P＜0.05), while for old medical picture recognition, reaction time (RT) of Chinese medical students ( ( 887.57 ± 104.07 ) ms ) was longer than that of Indian medical students ( ( 840.93 ± 1 22.48 ) ms) (P＜0.05).Three way ANOVA suggested that cultural background and picture type significantly affected accuracy and RT,learning experience affected RT. In addition to picture type and learning experience, the interaction of each factors is not remarkable. Conclusion Cultural background, professional background and learning experiences have affected recognition memory. Medical students of different cultural background adopted difference strategies in picture recognition memory.