Forward and Backward Recall

How do people retrieve information in forward and backward recall? To address this issue, we examined response times in directional recall as a function of serial position and list length. Participants memorized lists of four to six words and entered responses at the keyboard. Recall direction was postcued. Response times exhibited asymmetry in terms of direction. In forward recall, response times peaked at the first position, leveling off for subsequent positions. Response times were slower in backward recall than in forward recall and exhibited an inverse U-shaped function with an initial slowdown followed by a continuous speedup. These asymmetries have implications for theoretical models of retrieval in serial recall, including temporal-code, rule-based, and network models. The response time pattern suggests that forward recall proceeds in equal steps across positions, whereas backward recall involves repeated covet cycles of forward recall. Thus, retrieval in both directions involves a forward search.

Introduction: Looking Back

A brief historical overview of the ATTLC / LTAC, with emphasis on the very beginnings.Comparison between the limited range of activities then and the abundance now. A glance forward. Recall of key names and thanks. Dedication.

Backward and Forward Recall by Deaf and Hearing Children

Previous work showed that deaf children probably used visual codes for the short-term storage of verbal material. Such a visual code might lack the unidirectional character of a linguistic one. If so, reversed recall of visually presented material might be easier for subjects using visual images, and the deaf might therefore have an advantage in backward recall. Deaf and hearing children matched on forward letter span were tested for the backward recall of six item letter series, and the hypothesis was confirmed for order but not for item errors.