Stimulated Recall

Stimulated recall is a retrospective introspective method in which participants view or listen to a recording of their own performance and report what they were thinking at the time. The recording serves as a stimulus to help participants reconstruct their thought processes, reducing reliance on unaided memory.

How It Works

1. Performance: the participant completes a task (teaching a lesson, engaging in conversation, taking a test) while being audio/video recorded
2. Playback session: shortly afterwards (ideally within 48 hours), the participant watches/listens to the recording
3. Verbal report: at selected points (researcher-initiated or participant-initiated pauses), the participant reports what they were thinking during that moment
4. Recording and transcription: the recall session is itself recorded and transcribed for analysis

Theoretical Basis

Gass & Mackey (2000) provided the definitive methodological guide for SLA researchers: Stimulated Recall Methodology in Second Language Research. They argued that with appropriate timing and prompting, stimulated recall can access thoughts that occurred during the original event, though the method is not without limitations.

In SLA and Applied Linguistics

Stimulated recall is used extensively to investigate:

• Teacher Cognition: what teachers think during lessons; the gap between beliefs and classroom decisions
• Learner strategies: what learners were attending to during interaction or task completion
• Negotiation of Meaning: what interlocutors were thinking during communication breakdowns
• Noticing: whether learners noticed target features in input or Corrective Feedback
• Test-taking processes: how candidates approach speaking or writing tasks

Advantages Over Think-Aloud

• Non-intrusive: does not interfere with the original task performance (unlike Think-Aloud Protocol)
• Naturalistic: participants can perform naturally without the dual burden of verbalisation
• Richer context: the video provides a concrete anchor for recall
• Suitable for interactive tasks: think-aloud disrupts conversation; stimulated recall does not

Limitations

• Memory decay: the longer the delay between performance and recall, the less accurate the report
• Post-hoc rationalisation: participants may construct explanations rather than genuinely recalling what they thought
• Selective recall: participants recall salient moments but miss routine processing
• Leading prompts: the researcher's questions may inadvertently suggest certain interpretations
• Cognitive load: watching one's own performance is itself demanding

Methodological Recommendations

• Conduct the recall session as soon as possible after the event (same day preferred)
• Use open prompts ("What were you thinking here?") rather than leading questions
• Allow participant-initiated pauses alongside researcher-selected moments
• Distinguish between genuine recall and post-hoc interpretation in analysis
• Report the time gap between performance and recall

References

• Gass & Mackey (2000): Stimulated Recall Methodology in Second Language Research
• Gass & Mackey (2017): updated edition: Stimulated Recall Methodology in Applied Linguistics and L2 Research
• Borg (2006): stimulated recall in Teacher Cognition research
• Mackey, Gass & McDonough (2000): how stimulated recall captures noticing