Effects of Generation on Memory for Order

Seven experiments are reported on memory for order of stimuli either generated by the subject or presented to the subject. When subjects were required to assign items to precise positions, a generation decrement was obtained, with subjects showing worse memory for order when they had generated the items. However, no generation decrement in accuracy was obtained when subjects were asked for relative recency judgments. This suggests that judgments of absolute and relative position are made using somewhat different memory processes.