Order Learning and Item Presentation Method

Abstract

Summary Experiment 1 (N = 60) and Experiment 2 (N = 60) examined the learning of item and order information in serial learning (SL) with constant total time, under the study-test, anticipation, and modified anticipation methods with study (S) and test (T) events of an anticipation exposure operationally separated. Both acquisition and serial position effects based only on item learning differed little among the methods. However, both effects based on the combined learning of both item and order (ordered recall) were significantly superior with the two types of the anticipation method vis-à-vis the study-test method. The primacy effects occurred for all methods, but the recency effects were limited to the anticipation methods, with no tangible trace thereof for the study-test method. The latter serial position curve may pose difficulties for most extant theories, but this may be accounted for by interferences from intervening Ts, stronger than those of Ss in the retention interval. Order learning may be greater with the anticipation method than with the study-test method because of facilitating factors, uniquely present for the former, including (a) the external cue during the test phase, (b) responsegenerated effects during both study and test phases, and (c) immediate feedback. Spaced practice effects in SL were large under the study-test method, but small under the anticipation method.