Assessing Neurocognitive Hypotheses in a Likelihood-Based Model of the Free-Recall Task

In the free-recall task, a participant studies a list of words, and then reports those words in whatever order they come to mind. As such, the behavioral dynamics of free recall are revealed by the recall sequences produced by participants. A variety of cognitive models have been designed to account for these behavioral dynamics. These models describe the cognitive operations that give rise to the observed recall sequences. This chapter provides a tutorial overview of a likelihood-based free-recall model designed to connect these cognitive operations with neural signals recorded as participants search their memories during a free-recall task.