Abstract
Lists of eight words drawn from two or four semantic categories were presented, followed by instructions requiring either free recall, sequential recall (in order of presentation), or semantic recall (in groups of words from the same semantic category). The hypothesis that semantic recall is a retrieval phenomenon while sequential recall depends on attention to sequential characteristics of the lists during input was supported. Presenting recall instructions after the list reduced sequential recall but enhanced semantic recall.
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This paper is sponsored by Roger L. Dominowski, who takes full editorial responsibility for its contents.
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Wetherick, N.E. Semantic information in short-term memory: Effects of presenting recall instructions after the list. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 8, 79–81 (1976). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335085
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03335085