A randomization model appropriate for evaluating priority effects in free recall (i.e. whether ‘new’ items are recalled prior to ‘old’ items) is discussed and related to well‐known non‐parametric significance tests. In particular, the bases for the measures that have been suggested in the psychological literature may be interpreted either in terms of Wilcoxon's rank sum statistic or through a specific entry in a 2 × 2 contingency table. The mean and variance formulas for a general correlational statistic are provided that specialize to the moments for the two measures already i