Abstract
The unitization hypothesis of organization predicts that different levels of free recall should be accounted for by the number of additional items recalled as part of higher order memory units. This prediction was tested by using various instructional procedures to obtain different levels of total recall from normal elderly subjects, identifying their memory units in order to analyze the composition of recall. The composition of recall shows that different levels of recall are accounted for by the number of additional items recalled as part of a constant number of multiitem units. These results directly confirm the unitization hypothesis.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Buschke, H. Two dimensional recall: Immediate identification of clusters in episodic and semantic memory. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 1977, 16, 201–215.
Craik, F. I. M. Age differences in human memory. In J. E. Birren & K. W. Schaie (Eds.), Handbook of the psychology of aging. New York: Van Nostrand Rinehold, 1977.
Miller, G. A. The magical number seven plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 1956, 63, 81–97.
Tulving, E. Intratrial and intertrial retention: Notes toward a theory of free recall verbal learning. Psychological Review, 1964, 71, 219–237.
Tulving, E., & Donaldson, W. Organization of memory. New York: Academic Press, 1972.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Additional information
This work was supported by USPHS Grants NS-03356 and HD-01799 from NIH and AGO-2478 from NIA. Nathan Liebster was a postdoctoral trainee supported by USPHS Grant 5T32 AGO-0004-05 from NIH. Michael Macht is a postdoctoral fellow supported by USPHS Grant 1F32 AGO-5193 awarded by NIA. At the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Nathan Liebster is with the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology and the Department of Pathology, Michael Macht is with the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, and Herman Buschke is with the Saul R. Korey Department of Neurology, the Rose F. Kennedy Center for Research in Mental Retardation and Human Development, and the Department of Neuroscience. Portions of this work were presented at the annual meeting of the Eastern Psychological Association in Hartford, Connecticut, 1980. We thank the administrators and members of the Self Help Forest Hills Senior Center for their cooperation.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liebster, N., Macht, M.L. & Buschke, H. Memory units and the composition of recall. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 18, 179–182 (1981). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333597
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03333597