Presentation Rate Effects in Transfer from Serial to Paired-Associate Learning

Abstract

Summary The effect of presentation rate, 1 or 3 seconds per item, upon the formation of interitem associations in serial learning was investigated by examining transfer from serial to paired-associate (PA) learning. The influence of PA presentation rate, 2:2, 2:6, 6:2, or 6:6, was also assessed. With total time held constant, serial learning proceeded more rapidly at the 3-second rate, thus providing a violation in total time invariance. Furthermore, transfer in terms of performance differences between experimental pairs, formed from adjacent items in the serial list, and control pairs, composed of new items, was significantly greater following serial learning at the 3-second rate. These results were viewed as suggesting that usual organizational strategies are disrupted at the fast presentation rate. With respect to PA variables, it was observed that maximal transfer was obtained at a 6:2 rate.