Word frequency and the mixed-list paradox in immediate and delayed serial recall

Abstract

In free recall tasks, when low- and high-frequency items are mixed within the to-be-remembered lists, the usual recall advantage found for high-frequency words is eliminated or reversed. Recently, this mixed-list paradox has also been demonstrated for short-term serial recall (Hulme, Stuart, Brown, & Morin, 2003). Although a number of theoretical interpretations of this mixed-list paradox have been proposed, researchers have also suggested that it could simply be a result of participant-controlled strategies (M. J. Watkins, LeCompte, & Kim, 2000). The present study was designed to assess whether this explanation could be applied to immediate and delayed serial recall. The results showed that high-frequency words were recalled better than low-frequency words in pure lists, but that this effect was eliminated in mixed lists, whether they were given under intentional or incidental learning conditions. This pattern suggests that the mixed-list paradox cannot be explained by participant- controlled strategies. Copyright 2006 Psychonomic Society, Inc.