Glanzer and Cunitz
Glanzer and Cunitz (1966)
Aim:
To investigate recency effect in free recall (i.e. in any order).
Procedure:
This was a laboratory experiment where participants first heard a list of items and then immediately had to recall them in any order.
Results:
- Participants recalled words from the beginning of the list (primacy effect) and the end of the list (the recency effect) best. The results showed a U-shaped curve.
- If participants were given a filler task just after hearing the last words, the primacy effect disappeared but the recency effect remained.
- The recency effect could be due to the words still being active in STM (working memory).
- Rehearsal could be a factor in transfer of information into LTM.
Evaluation:
- The study supports the idea of multiple stores (STM and LTM).
- This is a controlled laboratory study with highly controlled variables, but there is no random allocation of participants to experimental conditions so it is not a true experiment.
- There may be problems with ecological validity.