Initial recall, reminiscence, and hypermnesia.

A survey of data from free-recall experiments reveals a simple relation between initial recall level and reminiscence (recall of new items on a 2nd test). The percentage of new items recalled on a 2nd test is an increasing linear function of the percentage of items recalled on the 1st test. This was shown for 3 independent data sets representing a wide range of experimental conditions. The analyses also identified picture–word differences in the relation between initial recall and reminiscence and hypermnesia (gain in total recalled over tests) as well as in correlations of initial recall, reminiscence, and intertest forgetting. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)