A Negative Priority Effect

Abstract

On multiple tests of free recall increased study time for selected items near the middle of a presentation list resulted in both a significantly higher level of recall and a later reproduction of these items during recall (negative priority effect). A reliable tendency for “old” items to be emitted relatively late during recall also was found, the effect increasing with increased study time. Although a delay between the end of the list and recall significantly reduced serial position artifacts, the other priorities were still reliably evident. These results are diametrically opposed to the assumption that the stronger or better learned an item the earlier it will be recalled. Instead, they were interpreted in terms of a dual storage system, with the possibility of intentional strategies employed by subjects to maximize total items recalled.