Clustering and expertise in a recall task: The effect of item organization criteria

The present study investigates the hypothesis that the traditional positive relationship between expertise and item organization during recall depends on the degree of domain-relevance of the criteria used to assess item organization. The hypothesis was tested on a beverage list recall task by comparing experienced waiters, beginner waiters and non-waiters. Two criteria were used to assess recall clustering: (1) according to common beverage categories and (2) according to functional categories involving expertise. Results revealed no differences between groups for common categories, whereas experienced waiters clustered and performed significantly more and better than the two other groups for functional categories. Educational implications are discussed in the conclusion.