A participant is required to report as much of a poem as he can remember after having read the poem once immediately prior to recall. In reciting the poem from memory, one expects the greatest number of errors in lines:
A) at the beginning of the poem
B) in the middle of the poem
C) at the end of the poem
D) Errors will be independent of the position of the line in the poem.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Research has shown that in serial recall tasks (such as reciting a poem from memory), individuals tend to have the greatest difficulty recalling items in the middle of the list. This is known as the "serial position effect." Therefore, one would expect the greatest number of errors in the middle lines of the poem.

A Participant Is Required to Report as Much of a Poem