Abstract
A serial position effect was observed in latency scores when a visually presented test element was correctly identified as having a particular serial location in a memorized serial list. The effect was not observed in a choice reaction-time task which made similar response requirements. The data suggest that the serial position effect for latency scores, as for error scores, arise in memory tasks in which the identification of a position in a list is critical for correct responding.
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This research was conducted while the author served as Professor of Psychology at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. Funds for the apparatus employed were provided by a grant from the New Zealand University Grants Committee to L. B. Brown and J. Dutch. The writer is grateful to them for making the apparatus available, and to Mr. Fred Lane for the construction of timers and circuits which made the separate pieces a workable system. Funds for reprints were provided by a grant from the Bowdoin College Faculty Research Fund. James L. Fozard read earlier drafts of this paper and provided helpful suggestions and comments.
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Fuchs, A.H. Response latency and serial position in short-term memory. Psychon Sci 22, 75–76 (1971). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332501
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332501