Distinctiveness and serial position functions in implicit memory

ABSTRACT

Serial position functions, with their characteristic primacy and recency effects, are ubiquitous in episodic memory tasks, and have also been observed in tasks tapping semantic memory. However, only one experiment, [Raanaas, R. K., & Magnussen, S. (2006a). Serial position effects in implicit memory. European Journal of Cognitive Psychology, 18, 398–414. doi:10.1080/09541440500162065], has demonstrated primacy and recency effects in implicit memory using an indirect memory test. In Experiment 1, we replicate this finding and in Experiment 2, we confirm a prediction that holds only if the serial position function observed in Experiment 1 was a “real” serial position function. These results confirm the presence of serial position functions in implicit memory and also support a general prediction of the relative distinctiveness principle that serial position functions should obtain whenever a set of items are ordered along a relevant dimension.

KEYWORDS:

• Implicit memory
• serial position function
• primacy effect
• recency effect

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported, in part, by a grant from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada to IN. Experiment 2 began as an undergraduate honours thesis project by RML. Authors are listed alphabetically.