# Fundamental Law of Memory Recall

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/1905.02403 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/1905.02403/

## Key facts

- Cited by 2 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- First posted on arXiv 7 May 2019.

## Built on by (most cited first, 2 of 2)

- [Large-scale study of human memory for meaningful narratives](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.04742/) (2023)
- [Random Tree Model of Meaningful Memory](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2412.01806/) (2024)

## Abstract (arXiv)

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 = √3π M/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.