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arXiv · 1905.02403

Fundamental Law of Memory Recall

Michelangelo Naim·Mikhail Katkov·Sandro Romani·Misha Tsodyks
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Abstract

Free recall of random lists of words is a standard paradigm used to probe human memory. We proposed an associative search process that can be reduced to a deterministic walk on random graphs defined by the structure of memory representations. This model makes a parameter-free prediction for the average number of memory items recalled ($RC$) out of $M$ items in memory: $R = \sqrt{3πM/2}$. This prediction was verified in a large-scale crowd-sourced free recall and recognition experiment. We uncovered a novel law of memory recall, indicating that recall operates according to a stereotyped search process common to all people.

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Michelangelo Naim, Mikhail Katkov, Sandro Romani, Misha Tsodyks. 2020-04-30. Fundamental Law of Memory Recall. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.124.018101

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