Variable distraction 1 Running head: VARIABLE DISTRACTION Oscillating distraction intervals in free recall: A test of contextual retrieval theory

Variable distraction 2 The contiguity effect, the finding that participants organize recalled items in terms of their temporal position on a study list, is a near-ubiquitous feature of studies of free recall. The robustness of this effect to substantial inter-item distraction is thought to reflect the utilization of a retrieval cue that changes slowly as the participant studies items, as well as when they process the distraction events, as described by retrieved-context theories of human memory. By these theories, when studied items are surrounded by equally lengthed periods of inter-item distraction, this does not change the relative likelihood of recalling the surrounding items, causing the contiguity effect to have the same shape as when there is no inter-item distraction. We test this theory by presenting participants with study lists with uneven distraction intervals surrounding the studied material, and find that, in accordance with retrieved-context theories, this experimental manipulation alters the shape of the contiguity effect. An analysis of the effect of temporal isolation of particular items on the memorability of the studied material allows us to contrast the predictions of retrieved-context theories with those of temporal distinctiveness theories. We find that temporally isolated items are less memorable than items with close temporal neighbors, which goes against the predictions of temporal distinctiveness theories but is in accord with retrieved-context theories. Variable distraction 3 Oscillating distraction intervals in free recall: A test of contextual retrieval theor