Stimulated recall: a report on its use in naturalistic research

Abstract Stimulated recall (SR) is a family of introspective research procedures through which cognitive processes can be investigated by inviting subjects to recall, when prompted by a video sequence, their concurrent thinking during that event. Variations of the generic approach are widely used and many of the studies treat SR as non‐problematic. The article reviews the strengths and weaknesses of SR and exemplifies its use in a study of non‐deliberative decision‐making by sports coaches. The study reaffirms the potential limitations of subjects reordering their accounts in response to activating deeper memory structures and in order to maintain biases of control and a priori theory affirmation.…