Effects of Incidental Cues on Free Recall of Pictures in Mixed and Unmixed Lists

Summary

Free recall of 24 drawings differing in incidental cues, was measured in a mixed- and unmixed-list presentation to male and female undergraduates. In unmixed-list presentation (N = 66) no differences were found. In mixed-list presentation (N = 22) drawings provided with contextual cues were better retained than drawings without these cues, or drawings of objects embellished with extra details. The findings were interpreted as providing evidence for richness of incidental cues as a minor factor in recall of picture stimuli.