DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF INCIDENTAL TASKS ON ORGANIZATION OF RECALL OF A LIST OF HIGHLY ASSOCIATED WORDS

In 3 experiments involving 17 groups of undergraduates, the amount and organization of recall of word lists varied with the type of incidental task performed during presentation of the list. All Ss heard a randomized list of high-strength primary word associates. When the incidental task required using the word as a semantic unit (rating the word as to its pleasantness), recall and organization were equivalent to those of a control group with no incidental task. When the incidental task involved the word as an object (checking for certain letters or estimating the number of letters in the word), recall and organization were greatly reduced. Effects were unaltered by incidental-plus-recall instructions, doubling presentation time, and presenting the list twice. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.