Repeated cuing and the structure of recall

Theoretical controversy attends the question of whether the recall process is in some fundamental way consistent rather than probabilistic. The question was investigated here by examining memory for series of pictures each containing three independently specified elements: colour, location and object type. After a delay, the recall of each item was assessed in a series of separate, well‐spaced tests by providing each of its elements in turn as a retrieval cue. The results were accurately represented by a model which proposes that recall of the functional memory trace (or ‘fragment’) is indeed primarily consistent, although deviations may occur for secondary reasons.