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Retrieval

Retrieval

Retrieval is the process of getting information out of memory storage and back into conscious awareness. This ability is essential for daily tasks like brushing hair and teeth, driving to work, and performing job duties. Retrieval occurs in three ways: recall, recognition, and relearning.
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The serial position effect is a cognitive phenomenon where individuals are more likely to recall the first and last items in a list compared to those in the middle. This effect is divided into the primacy effect and the recency effect. The primacy effect is observed when the initial items in a list are remembered better. This occurs because these items are rehearsed more frequently or receive more elaborative processing, allowing them to be encoded into long-term memory more effectively. For...

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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

A Retrieved Context Model of Serial Recall and Free Recall.

Lynn J Lohnas¹

¹Department of Psychology, Syracuse University, 765 Irving Ave, Suite 352, Syracuse, NY 13210 USA.

Computational Brain & Behavior

|July 16, 2026

Summary

This study introduces the serial context maintenance and retrieval (sCMR) model, unifying explanations for free and serial recall memory dynamics. The sCMR model successfully accounts for various recall phenomena, highlighting shared mechanisms and task-specific distinctions.

Keywords:

Episodic memory Free recall Modeling Retrieved context Serial recall

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Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

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Published on: June 14, 2019

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Last Updated: Jul 17, 2026

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Examining Recall Memory in Infancy and Early Childhood Using the Elicited Imitation Paradigm

Published on: April 28, 2016

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Using Practice Testing, Public Speaking, and Source Monitoring to Examine the Influences of Learning Strategies and Stress on Episodic Memory

Published on: June 14, 2019

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Computational Neuroscience
Memory Research

Background:

Memory retrieval is guided by both external (exogenous) and internal (endogenous) cues.
Retrieved context theories explain memory search dynamics in free recall.
Recent advancements extend retrieved context models to serial recall and motor production.

Purpose of the Study:

To evaluate the retrieved context theory's capacity to explain data from multiple classic recall procedures simultaneously.
To introduce a serial version of the context maintenance and retrieval model (sCMR) for unifying memory recall phenomena.
To elucidate the distinctions between serial and free recall based on model mechanisms.

Main Methods:

Comparative analysis of recall transitions across different memory tasks.
Development and application of the serial context maintenance and retrieval (sCMR) model.
Evaluation of sCMR's ability to account for serial position curves, temporal clustering, and grouping effects.

Main Results:

The sCMR model successfully accounts for dissociations between serial position curves and temporal clustering.
sCMR explains grouping effects using consistent assumptions across recall procedures.
The model demonstrates a common theoretical framework for disparate memory recall phenomena.

Conclusions:

The sCMR model provides a unified theoretical framework for understanding memory recall.
The model highlights both shared mechanisms and key distinctions between serial and free recall.
Retrieved context theory offers a robust explanation for diverse memory search dynamics.