"Evidence is produced which throws grave suspicion on the accepted nature of the von Restorff effect. It would seem that it is not isolation but an unexpected change that favors recall. What appears to be a highly significant result of the sort obtained by later workers in this area turns out on analysis to be incompatible with von Restorff's position, although the alternative behaviorist explanation of serial interference seems to offer an alternative explanation. The Gestalt theory concerning what happens to engrams with time also is not supported." (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved)