▁and ▁some ▁non - prim ates . ▁ ▁Im agine ▁mixing ▁up ▁the ▁order ▁of ▁ph on emes , ▁or ▁meaning ful ▁units ▁of ▁sound , ▁in ▁a ▁word ▁so ▁that ▁" sl ight " ▁becomes ▁" style ." ▁ ▁Serial - order ▁also ▁helps ▁us ▁remember ▁the ▁order ▁of ▁events ▁in ▁our ▁lives , ▁our ▁aut obi ographical ▁mem ories . ▁ ▁Our ▁memory ▁of ▁our ▁past ▁appears ▁to ▁exist ▁on ▁a ▁continu um ▁on ▁which ▁more ▁recent ▁events ▁are ▁more ▁easily ▁remembered ▁in ▁order . ▁ ▁Serial ▁recall ▁in ▁long - term ▁memory ▁( LT M ) ▁diff ers ▁from ▁serial ▁recall ▁in ▁short - term ▁memory ▁( ST M ). ▁ ▁To ▁store ▁a ▁sequence ▁in ▁L TM , ▁the ▁sequence ▁is ▁repeated ▁over ▁time ▁until ▁it ▁is ▁represented ▁in ▁memory ▁as ▁a ▁whole , ▁rather ▁than ▁as ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁items . ▁ ▁In ▁this ▁way , ▁there ▁is ▁no ▁need ▁to ▁remember ▁the ▁relationships ▁between ▁the ▁items ▁and ▁their ▁original ▁positions . ▁ ▁In ▁ST M , ▁immediate ▁serial ▁recall ▁( IS R ) ▁has ▁been ▁thought ▁to ▁result ▁from ▁one ▁of ▁two ▁mechan isms . ▁ ▁The ▁first ▁refers ▁to ▁IS R ▁as ▁a ▁result ▁of ▁associations ▁between ▁the ▁items ▁and ▁their ▁positions ▁in ▁a ▁sequence , ▁while ▁the ▁second ▁refers ▁to ▁associations ▁between ▁items . ▁ ▁These ▁associations ▁between ▁items ▁are ▁referred ▁to ▁as ▁chain ing , ▁and ▁is ▁an ▁unlikely ▁mechanism , ▁according ▁to ▁research . ▁ ▁Position - item ▁relationships ▁do ▁not ▁account ▁for