A first study, free recall, showed that the von Restorff effect could be produced by the interpolation of a photograph of nude human beings at Serial Position 8 in a 15-item list consisting of line drawings of familiar objects. This effect was accompanied by a retrograde amnesia at the two serial positions immediately preceding the interpolated item. A substantial anterograde amnesia resulted from the nude photograph, affecting the 6 following positions. A second study presented 5s a recognition task. Lists of 30 photographs from popular magazines were shown at .75-sec. or l.SO-sec. rates, and recognition memory for 12 of the positions was probed by presenting 12 old and 12 new pictures on a "test" trial. Photographs of nudes were interpolated at Serial Position IS. A profound anterograde amnesia resulted, with the effect being greater for the .75-sec. rate. No retrograde amnesia resulted.

A photograph of a nude was interpolated midway through a 30-item list. Recognition memory of items at various serial positions was measured by presenting 12 old and 12 new pictures on a test trial. Palmar conductance was also measured. Significantly decreased recognition memory and increased palmar conductance accompanied presentation of the picture of the nude. When the two measures were compared for individual subjects, however, no correlation was found. These data suggest that both responses are likely to occur to the presentation of the critical item but that the responses are independent.

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Iconic memory processes of adult retarded subjects and college students were compared m four experiments In Experiment 1 a partial report paradigm was used in which six retarded and six nonretarded subjects were presented six pictures under four intervals (0-500 ms) Experiment 2 was a replication of the first one (« = 5 for each group), but it included letters as well as pictures Overall performance of the retarded subjects was inferior, but they did better with letters than with pictures, which was the reverse of the finding with nonretarded subjects Experiment 3 was conducted with two retarded subjects given extended practice and incentive to perform well Asymptote was reached after 10 days and never equaled performance of unpracticed nonretarded subjects In Experiment 4 (n = 5 in each group), information load was varied from one to four items, and a masking stimulus was used to interrupt processing following six intervals that lasted up to 250 ms Results suggest the following (a) There are quantitative differences between intelligence groups in iconic capacity, (b) retarded subjects are slower to process information, a difference that increases with increasing information load, and (c) there are substantive structural differences m iconic memory of retarded and nonretarded subjects