Influence of Recall on Reliability of Autokinetic Perception in a Portable Apparatus

Abstract

A previous study of the influence of recall on autokinetic perception was replicated using portable apparatus. An autokinetic test was given to 76 male subjects who were then randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups of 19 subjects each. Two groups were retested after 1 and 6 wk., respectively. The other two groups were asked to recall their initial experience after 1 and 6 wk., respectively. The results were similar to those reported previously, in that intertrial correlations for length of line and maximal excursion from the starting point were generally higher for the recall than for the retest conditions. Latencies were not consistent with this finding. These results were discussed in comparison with previous studies of the reliability of autokinetic perception.