The Interaction Between Age and List Length in Free Recall

Using the "delayed-recall" procedure developed by Shiffrin (1970), the effects of list length on encoding, storage, and retrieval processes in different aged subjects were assessed. The length of a list interpolated in the retention interval did not interact with age, while an interaction was found between age and the length of list being recalled. Age differences in the probability of recall decreased as the length of the list being recalled increased. This interaction was replicated in a second experiment with immediate recall. This interaction seems most compatible with the hypothesis that older persons use less spontaneous organization during list learning. List length primarily disrupts the ability of younger subjects to develop adequate organizational plans (2.e., longer lists are more difficult to organize), and because older subjects are organizing less, they are less affected by the increases in list length.