The effects of associative and coding processes on organization in free recall

Abstract

The effects of associative and coding processes on organization in multi-trial free recall were investigated. Two variables, formal similarity and list length, were manipulated. The results showed that high formal similarity and shorter list lengths led to less organization in S s' recall. Both associative and coding effects were demonstrated, suggesting that S s can process verbal information of this type at two levels. At one, S detects and stores information concerned with the “codability” of the items while at another he attempts to form associative connections among the items of each coded category.