Two studies examined serial recall process of first-grade Canadian children from inner-city and suburban backgrounds. In the first study significant differences were found in the serial position curve of recall. Suburban children recalled a greater number of early-presented, primacy items, while inner-city children who had equivalent span…

As predicted, foods from categories typical of most people's restaurant schemata (conceptual framework) were better recalled by undergraduates who read a restaurant narrative, than those reading about supermarkets, a less structured schemata. Findings confirm Ausubel's notion that information which fits slots in a conceptual framework is more…

Tests 64 deaf students from oral and total communication settings to examine whether a deficiency in spontaneous strategy use accounts for their verbal short-term memory performance. Spontaneous rehearsal of both deaf samples seemed to emerge later than the hearing sample's and was inefficiently implemented and less effective in mediating recall…

Research based on author's master thesis and supported by funds from the National Science Foundation. (DS)

A primary purpose of the present study was the evaluation of possible differences in process between the recall and anticipation methods of serial learning. (Author)

The notion of strength is defined in several alternative ways for chains of associations connected in series and in parallel. Network strength theory is extended to handle retrieval dynamics for a network of associations, in a manner that permits various degrees of serial versus parallel manner that permits various degrees of serial versus…

Used a variance-partitioning procedure to identify age-related and age-invariant components of verbal and spatial memory span in 6- to 12-year olds. Concluded that verbal and spatial short-term memory appear to rely on similar processes when serial recall is required and that development in span is closely tied to increases in processing speed.…

This study examined the interrelationships among a number of episodic memory tasks and among various attributes of memory. A sample of 200 college students was tested for ten sessions; 28 different measures of episodic memory were obtained. In addition, five measures of semantic memory were available. Results indicated that episodic and semantic…

Mathematical performance by 14 first- and second-grade children with specific language impairments (SLI) indicated difficulty with mathematical tasks that required immediate response. Findings suggest that storage and/or retrieval of rote sequential material is difficult for children with SLI. (Author/PB)

Tested the ability of 19 older adults, given additional training in a mental imagination technique, to approach the performance of 16 younger adults on serial word recall tasks. Results indicated that negative age differences in older adults' performance were substantial, resistant to extensive practice, and applicable to all subjects. (BC)

A cross-sectional study that investigated memory variables in 100 subjects in 4 age ranges (17-22, 40-50, 60-70, and 75-99) found that the 60-70 year olds were more impaired with respect to retrieval than storage and the major problem with memory among the 75-99 year olds was retrieval from short- or long-term memory. Because the study was…

Factor analyses of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R) have typically yielded three factors: two generally understood to reflect basic verbal and performance dimensions and one about which there is no consensus with regard to what is measured. The aim of the present study is to elaborate the meaning of the third factor by…

Mandler (1969) found that one-third of adult subjects were seriators and two-thirds were categorizers in a task where either strategy could be employed. Study 1 was a replication of his procedure with children from Grades 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9. While there was weak evidence that some older subjects chose the categorial strategy, there was little…

The effects of different levels of rehearsal quality on serial recall, over and above simple labeling, were studied in a sample of 104 kindergartners. Subjects were randomly assigned to four experimental conditions. In one condition the subject and experimenter rehearsed together; in a second condition only the experimenter rehearsed; in the third…

This paper describes a series of studies which examine the early development of recall. Subjects were children about 2 1/2 and 5 years of age. Recall was tested on nine-item lists which were either composed of three objects from each of three conceptual categories or nine objects from nine different conceptual categories. Age differences were…