Initial recall, reminiscence, and hypermnesia: comment on Madigan and O'Hara (1992).

S. Madigan and R. O'Hara (1992) analyzed data from repeated free-recall experiments and concluded that the rate of item recovery across tests was related to the level of recall performance on an initial free-recall test. We report a reanalysis of these data along with Monte Carlo simulations that indicate the measures used by Madigan and O'Hara may have inflated the magnitude of the relation between initial recall and item recovery. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for future research investigating reminiscence and hypermnesia.