Paired-associate learning as a function of stimulus and response satiation.

Abstract

Two experiments, one using highly meaningful pairs and the other using low meaningful pairs, were performed to determine the effects of stimulus and response satiation in paired‐associate learning. Results indicated that: (a) satiation treatment of highly meaningful words produces a decrease in their meaning, whereas similar treatment of low meaningful words does not produce significant semantic change; (b) with highly meaningful S‐R pairs, pre‐learning satiation of either the stimulus or the response words retards subsequent learning, whereas with low meaningful S—R pairs only stimulus satiation produces such retardation. Results are explained in terms of two factors involved in the satiation procedure: a meaning decrement and the development of a word‐word habit. The importance of these two factors for stimulus and response positions is discussed.