Ericsson Cognitive Psychology Practice Test

Longer word length in a memory list typically leads to worse recall of the words due to a cognitive phenomenon known as the word length effect. This effect suggests that individuals find it more challenging to remember and retrieve longer words compared to shorter ones. The reasoning behind this is that longer words usually take more time to rehearse sub-vocally and also consume more phonological space in working memory.

When a person is trying to memorize a list of words, the ability to retain and recall the information can be hindered if the words require greater cognitive resources or longer rehearsal times. Therefore, as the length of the words increases, the efficiency of memory recall diminishes, leading to poorer performance overall. This understanding aligns with various cognitive psychology theories about how working memory operates and how it is influenced by the characteristics of the information held within it.