On the nature of word recall: evidence for linguistic specificity

Abstract

In Experiment 1 mixed lists of English and Spanish words were presented to bilingual subjects. After each list, subjects tried to complete fragments of the presented words, of translations of presented words, and of entirely new words. Thus, -lo-d was given as a cue for cloud following a list that included cloud (consistent condition), its Spanish equivalent nube (inconsistent condition), or neither of these words (no-presentation condition). Performance in the consistent condition exceeded that in the consistent condition, which in turn exceeded that in the no-presentation condition. In Experiment 2 precautions were taken to preclude translation during list presentation as well as at test. Specifically, subjects heard a single list of words all in the same language, either Turkish or English. Performance was again highest in the consistent condition, but this time there was no difference between the inconsistent and no-presentation conditions. These findings suggest that word recall can be direct rather than concept-mediated.