Abstract
Two emotional dimensions (evaluation, activation) were used along with serial position, word frequency, word length, and word order as independent variables in a serial list recall task with 36 words (N = 30 subjects). All variables were significantly related to recall in some fashion. Pleasant or unpleasant, active, short, common words in a primary or recency position were best recalled. Serial position was associated with the strongest significant main effect (η = .41), while activation, order, frequency, and length led to significant main effects of approximately equal strength (average η = .24). A number of significant two-way interactions among independent variables highlighted the complex manner in which these variables affect recall.
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