Signal recency effects can be distinguished from signal repetition effects in serial CRT tasks.

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Abstract
Signal repetition effects are well known. Human RT [reaction-time] reduces in serial choice tasks when a particular signal, as distinct from the response made to it, repeats on successive trials, N - 1 and N. This experiment showed a separate signal recency effect. RT is also reduced when a signal presented on trial N - 2 recurs on trial N. In 3, many-to-one signal-to-response mapping tasks (2 responses 4 signals, 2 responses 8 signals and 2 responses 16 signals) the effects of recent occurrence of signals were distinct from the effects of recent occurrence of responses made to them. The magnitude of signal recency effects varies directly with set size, but decreases and may eventually disappear with practice. The effect decreases with practice faster when signal sets are small than when they are large. A simple model accounts for these results and for earlier data from many-to-one mapping tasks which show that variations in signal entropy cease to affect CRT [choice reaction time] if practice is sufficiently prolonged. Predictions from this model for changes in component RT distributions with signal set size, signal repetition, signal recency and practice suggest further experiments.

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