In two different studies the relationships between study time patterns, retrieval time patterns, and clustering were examined. In the first study middle Socioeconomic Status white students in grades 2 through 5 increased their use of the clustering strategy as a function of the organizational nature of the list. List composition facilitated clustering among older children more than younger children. No relationship between study time patterns and clustering was observed. In the second study, the same clustering performance was observed among low Socioeconomic Status black and white students in grades 2 through 5. A relationship was observed, however, between retrieval time patterns and clustering. Clustered items were associated with shorter inter-item intervals than non-clustered items. This was observed regardless of children's age, background, or list composition. (Author/MV)