Implicit associative responses and false recognition by young children

Abstract

Two experiments concerned with implicit verbal behavior in young children are reported. In Exp. I, 86 elementary school children were presented a word list containing several critical stimulus words (e.g., SCISSORS) that possess strong natural-language associates (e.g., CUT). Next, a recognition list was presented that included (a) the associates of the critical stimulus words, and (b) control words (i.e., words not associated with any words on the learning list). It was assumed that if the experimental words had been elicited as implicit responses by the critical stimulus words, then these experimental words frequently would be falsely recognized as having appeared on the learning list. False recognitions did occur more frequently to experimental than to control words, confirming results obtained with adults by other investigators. Experiment II employed 24 kindergarten and 24 third-grade children. Prior to presentation of the learning list certain of the critical stimulus words from that list were used as stimulus words in PA learning, with nonassociated words used as response terms (e.g., SCISSORS-BATH). Then the learning and recognition lists were presented. No false recognition effect was obtained either for the associates developed during PA learning or for the natural-language associates of the critical stimulus words that had been used in PA learning. However, a reliable false recognition effect was obtained for natural language associates of critical stimulus words that had not been used in PA learning. These results suggest that the PA learning functioned to temporarily extinguish the natural-language associates but did not raise the strength of the “new” responses to the point that they were produced as IARs. Experiment II also examined false recognition as a function of CA, and found this effect reliably greater for the younger than for the older Ss. This finding is discussed with respect to the development of verbally mediated behavior.