The subtlety of distinctiveness: what von Restorff really did
Von Restorff's 15 subjects, isolate in second or third position, ten-item lists, ten minutes of prose reading before free recall, recall .70 isolated against .40 control; Hunt's replication with 40 undergraduates, isolate always second, .70 (syllable) and .80 (digit) against .40 and .30; the all-different control list and the similarity argument; 'widely cited but little read piece'.
Von Restorff's 15 subjects, isolate in second or third position, ten-item lists, ten minutes of prose reading before free recall, recall .70 isolated against .40 control; Hunt's replication with 40 undergraduates, isolate always second, .70 (syllable) and .80 (digit) against .40 and .30; the all-different control list and the similarity argument; 'widely cited but little read piece'.
Written from the full text read 2026-10-12.
What our sources record
Reproduced as it was written when this source was checked, figures and all.
doi:10.3758/BF03214414. Full text read: von Restorff's 15 subjects, isolate in second or third position, ten-item lists, ten minutes of prose reading before free recall, recall .70 isolated against .40 control; Hunt's replication with 40 undergraduates, isolate always second, .70 (syllable) and .80 (digit) against .40 and .30; the all-different control list and the similarity argument; 'widely cited but little read piece'.