LTM

• Procedure

  Harry Bahrick et al. studied 392 American participants aged 17 to 74. High school yearbooks from the participants were used. Recall was tested in various ways:

  • A photo-recognition test consisting of 50 photos, some from the yearbooks
  • A free recall test where participants recalled all the names from the graduating class
• Findings

  Participants tested within 15 years of graduation were about 90% accurate in photo recognition. After 48 years, recall declined to about 70% for photo recognition. Free recall was less accurate than recognition - about 60% after 15 years, dropping to 30% after 48 years. This shows that LTM may last up to a lifetime for some material.