Retrieval of contextual information from memory

Abstract

When Ss name the item that follows a test item in a short recently memorized list, their mean reaction-time ($\overline {\rm RT}$) increases linearly with list length. The linearity and slope of the function, and the effect of the test item’s serial position, imply that the test item is located in the memorized list by an internal self-terminating scanning process whose average rate is about four items/sec.