Thermaticity, abstractness, and the long-term recall of connected discourse

Abstract

Ss were given four study test trials on either concrete or abstract paragraphs presented in either thematic or nonthematic order. Effects of thematicity and abstractness were observed both after the fourth training trial and 2 weeks later. Thematicity was effective only when the paragraph was concrete, suggesting that recall of concrete material involves reconstruction from a surrogate structure involving conrete imagery.