Effects of an imagery mnemonic on second language recall and comprehension.

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University students with some educational background in French as a second language used an imagery-based hook mnemonic and rote rehearsal to learn different sets of French words. The hook technique involved associating the new items with an overlearned series of French stimulus words and images, which could be retrieved during recall using a number code. The rote condition involved the technique without imagery. The recall items, which were presented along with their translation equivalents on the study trial, varied in familiarity and concreteness. Recall following one study trial was approximately three times higher for words learned by imagery than by rote. This effect was only slightly qualified by familiarity and concreteness, which also affected recall. Translation tests given before and (unexpectedly) one day after the recall experiment showed that correct translations of relatively unfamiliar items increased about twice as much after study by imagery than after rote study. Thus imagery simultaneously facilitated both recall and comprehension. The practical and theoretical implications are discussed.