A witness is asked what happened and must generate the details without external cues. Recall is the retrieval of information from memory in the absence of the original stimulus.

Free recall allows any order; serial recall requires the original sequence; cued recall supplies a prompt. Recall is generally more demanding than recognition because it requires both generation and discrimination. The encoding specificity principle states that retrieval is best when cues match the conditions of encoding.

Recall failures can result from weak encoding, interference, or missing cues rather than loss of the trace itself. Techniques such as context reinstatement and the cognitive interview improve eyewitness recall. In education, practice in free recall strengthens learning more than passive review. Recall is the form of memory that most clearly demonstrates active reconstruction.

• Retrieval without the original stimulus present
• More demanding than recognition
• Sensitive to cue-encoding match
• Strengthened by active retrieval practice