Recall of Categorized Lists as a Function of Organization,Associative Frequency,Cues at Recall,and Inter-Trial Variability of Order

Abstract

10 subjects were randomly assigned to each cell of a 2 × 2 × 2 × 2 factorial design. Lists of 10 categories with 8 items per category were learned and recalled. Significant effects in total word recall were observed for (a) associative frequency of category instances, (b) blocked vs random organization of category instances during acquisition, (c) category label cues vs no cues at recall, and (d) the interaction of associative frequency and cues at recall. Category label cues did not facilitate recall of low-frequency items but did facilitate recall of high-frequency items. High associative frequency and blocked organization of category instances both significantly increased words per category recalled. High associative frequency and category label cues at recall both significantly increased the number of categories recalled.