The Effects of Performance Feedback on Memory Strategy Use and Recall Accuracy in Students With and Without Mild Mental Retardation

Abstract

Abstract The research hypothesis was that memory strategy deficits can occur because of students' failure to understand the task and to evaluate their own performance. The effect of performance feedback on memory strategy use, performance evaluation, and recall was assessed with students with and without mild mental retardation with a mental age of approximately 8.5 years. For students with retardation, feedback resulted in more accurate performance evaluation and recall, but memory strategy use did not increase. By contrast, for students without retardation, feedback resulted in more accurate performance evaluation and greater recall accuracy and memory strategy use. We concluded that students with retardation may not have the appropriate memory strategies in their repertoire and, therefore, feedback does not result in strategy use. It seems likely that memory strategy use in this population would be increased by a training package that includes strategy instruction as well as feedback.