Positional uncertainty in long-term memory

Abstract

Long-term memory for position was examined from the perspective of an immediate memory framework, the perturbation model of Estes (Estes, 1972; Lee & Estes, 1977, 1981). First, a simple version of the perturbation model is shown to provide a reasonable fit of previously reported long-term data (Nairne, 1990b), eventhough the perturbation idea was developed to explain the phenomena of immediate retention. Second, new results are reported that extend the application to multiple dimensions. Long-term memories for list and within-list position appear to mimic the classic patterns of immediate retention, in that both show bow-shaped serial position curves and error generalization gradients that are roughly symmetrical around the true serial position. © 1991 Psychonomic Society, Inc.