Effect of context and category name on the recall of categorized word lists.

Part-set cuing in option generation

“…When participants study a series of words drawn from specific categories and a single cue for each category is presented, recall is usually facilitated (e.g., Hudson & Austin, 1970). However, when a number of cues for each category are presented (or only a subset of target categories are cued), cues usually do not facilitate performance.…”

Inhibiting effects of recall

“…The most important criticism of Slamecka's series of experiments is that when categorized lists were used (1968, Experiment IV), Ss did not receive more categories (higher-order units) than they could have recalled without the use of external retrieval cues. Several Es have shown that when Ss receive either category names or items from the categories as retrieval cues when there are more categories in the list than could have been recalled without the aid of cues, recall is improved over that obtained in free recall conditions (Tulving & Pearlstone, 1966;Hudson & Austin, 1970;Wood, 1969;Lewis, 1971;Luek, McLaughlin, & Cicala, 1971;Kintsch & Kalk, 1972;Slamecka, 1972). The effect is always detected in measures of the number of categories recalled (defined as the recall of any item in the category) rather than in measures of the number of words per category recalled, It has been almost impossible to show that, contrary to the Slamecka result, cueing aids the recall of lists of unrelated words.…”

Retrieval inhibition from part-set cuing: A persisting enigma in memory research

“…Another study showing facilitation of category recall was done by Hudson and Austin (1970). Subjects listened to lists composed of three words from each of 10 familiar categories, with the order of presentation randomized with respect to category.…”