The total search in word free recall, averaged over item position, increases linearly with the number of items recalled. <...> Thus the word free recall search algorithm scales the same as the low-error recognition of integers [13]. <...> The linear scaling of the search algorithm is different from what is commonly assumed to be the word free recall search algorithm, search by random sampling. <...> The proportionality constant of 2-4 seconds per item (a hundred times larger than for integer recognition) is a power function of the average proportion not remembered and seems to be explicitly independent of subject age, presentation rate and whether there is a delay after the list presentation or not. <...> Key words: Free recall; short term memory; memory search, Sternberg Free recall experiments typically display a list of words and then ask the subjects to recall as many of the words as possible. <...> Recognition, on the other hand, he points out is still of interest to the research community. <...> Just like the Sternberg [13] beautiful straight lines from integer recognition can make recognition appear simple, free recall can appear just as simple as I will show next. <...> Ten items were displayed at a rate of one item per two seconds 16 Thus in the word free recall data of Murdock & Okada [11], and Kahana, Zaromb & Wingfield, [6] (Fig. 2) I find that there is a linear relationship between the total free recall search time, defined as the sum of all response times, including the first. <...> The linear regression accounts for 90—99% of the variance in the word free recall response times while in the Sternberg data the linear regression accounts for 99.4% of variance in the recognition response time. <...> The slope of 2—4 seconds, which is the additional time needed to respond if there is an additional Tarnow Eugen. <...> The top graph corresponds to the immediate free recall data in the Mudock & Okada [11] and the four graphs below to the data in Kahana, Zaromb and Wingfield [6]. <...> The top graph also has dashed line indicating the expected behavior of a search by random sampling. <...> Average time to find an additional item as a function of the average total percent words not recalled. <...> The more likely <...>