Ranschburg Unrepeated

In verbal working memory (WM), the second occurrence of an item in a memory list generally leads to impaired recall performance, a phenomenon called the “Ranschburg effect”. One explanation for this effect is response suppression, by which an item is removed from the set of retrieval candidates once recalled. The present study aimed at (1) determining the generality of this effect by extending it to the visuospatial domain, and (2) identifying the locus of the effect by using a forward/backward recall procedure. After a first unsuccessful attempt to replicate the Ranschburg effect using visuospatial stimuli, we sought to replicate the original effect using verbal materials. An additional series of three experiments failed to replicate the Ranschburg effect, including in experimental situations in which it had initially been observed. Simulations show that if the Ranschburg effect exists, it is unlikely to be explained by response suppression. The present study questions the importance of the Ranschburg effect for models of WM.