Primacy effect in single-trial free recall

Abstract

The primacy effect may be due to initial list members being relatively free of proactive inhibition (PI), spending longer time in a limited-capacity rehearsal buffer, or being associated with stronger retrieval cues. In three experiments using a single-trial free-recall procedure, S s were sometimes presented a forget cue during a list. The cue meant that they were not responsible for recalling any of the words which preceded it, only those which followed it. Since the primacy effect over the functional beginning of such lists was not diminished, the PI hypothesis was rejected. Tests of memory for list members which S s were under the impression they could forget showed consistently depressed retention of items immediately preceding a forget cue. This result was considered to be more in harmony with a rehearsal-buffer notion than a stronger-retrieval-cues position.