Item priority in free recall

Abstract

In multiple-trial free recall there is a tendency for newly learned items, i.e., items recalled for the first time, to be recalled prior to those which had recalled on previous trials (old items). Two mechanisms have been offered to account for this effect, (a) a subject strategy to recall new items first and (b) the operation of a serial-position bias in favor of “new” items. These explanations were contrasted in this study by comparing priority effects obtained under a condition that produces a strong position bias (0-sec delay between presentation and recall) with one that results in a greatly reduced bias (30-sec delay). Two groups (0 and 30 sec) learned two successive lists of words for four trials each. The results supported the positionbias explanation since significant priority effects were only obtained for the 0-sec group.