Abstract
A descriptive framework is offered for the interpretation of recency effects in immediate serial recall. Basic to the framework is a distinction between two types of trace features: (1) modality dependent features, which represent the perceptual qualities of presentation, and (2) modality independent features, which result from the set of encoding operations known as the “inner voice.” Recency and modality effects emerge because certain types of modality-dependent (i.e., language based) features are typically not subject to postlist interfering events and are likely to be sampled as discriminative cues in recall. The framework is used to interpret problematic findings in the modality effect literature, such as the effects of visual presentation, lipreading, mouthing, and stimulus class on the recall of recency items.
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This article was originally written in 1985 during the time that I was on leave at UCLA.
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Nairne, J.S. A framework for interpreting recency effects in immediate serial recall. Memory & Cognition 16, 343–352 (1988). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197045