The role of recall order in serial position effect

Effects of recall order on the serial position effect was examined. Fifteen items were presented one by one. After each block of three items each, 3 s were given to subjects, in which subjects had to recall aloud the items of the preceding block once in the presented order. Following the recall of the last block, subjects were asked for immediate free recall. Results indicated that recall order was backward among blocks (list scanning) and forward within a block (chunk scanning). In terms of recall probability, the primacy effect was absent and effects of serial position were not significant, except for items in the fifth block. It was suggested that for a list consisted of unrelated items, output interference should be considered in regard to both chunk scanning and list scanning.