Imagery in paired-associate learning in children

Abstract

Response items in a paired-associate task were presented verbally and pictorially. Two groups were given verbal descriptions of interactions between the stimulus and response items (“verbal compounds”); and two groups, only the names of the response items. One group under each condition was shown pictures of the interactions (“visual compounds”); and the other, pictures of the response items alone. Ss were divided into three age levels (total range 36–96 months). Verbal compounds and visual compounds were equally effective, and both facilitated performance. It may be that verbal description facilitates learning more than visual imagery (“visual compounds”), unless S verbalizes descriptions of the “images,” but other interpretations are possible.