STORAGE AND RETRIEVAL CUES IN FREE RECALL LEARNING

40 nouns were presented for a single learning trial. This was followed by free recall, which in turn was followed by cued recall in which 20 of the nouns from the list were shown S. To emphasize the use of particular cues in learning, 4 different instructional conditions were imposed prior to learning. Orthogonal to these conditions were 3 different types of cue emphases in presenting the 20 words prior to cued recall. The 12 groups each contained 28 college students. The instructional conditions for learning emphasized serial position (SP), alphabetical organization (AL), interitem associations (IA), or control. The 3 types of lists at cued recall were appropriate to SP, AL, and IA. Free recall was enhanced by SP and IA, but not by AL. Cued recall resulted in an average increment of less than 1/2 word and did not differ for the 12 conditions. It is concluded that free recall exhausts the storage. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.