The effects of time of day and subjects' test expectations on recall and recognition of prose materials

Abstract

This paper reports an experiment which investigated the effects of time of day and type of test expected (recall or recognition) on subjects' subsequent recall and recognition performance. The results of the recall test showed that better performance was associated with recall instructions in the afternoon (5 p.m.), but with recognition instructions in the morning (9 a.m.). The data from the recognition test showed that the morning subjects performed particularly well when they were expecting a recognition test, but that the afternoon subjects' performance was not affected by instructions. The results are discussed in relation to subjects' preferred processing strategies at different times of day.