An alternative interpretation of the stimulus suffix effect.

Abstract

The influence of a stimulus suffix was examined in yes-no recognition and probe-recall tasks. As with previous findings with serial recall, reliable suffix effects were obtained in probe recall. However, no suffix effects were found in the recognition task. Both serial and probe-recall tasks require the retention of order and item information, while only item information is required in recognition. An interpretation of the suffix effect based on interference with order information is presented.