20 undergraduates were presented with 16 stimuli consisting of differing patterned lines. In 8 the lines formed closed figures; the other 8 stimuli were unconnected lines presented in an arrangement of parallel lines. On a recognition test, recall for lines presented in an unconnected mode was superior to recall for lines presented as figures. It was suggested that the figure is an added factor in the memory span and hinders retention of its component lines.
