Serial Rote Learning Research Articles

Immediate Recall

The results are reported of two experiments which show that immediate recall of word lists is accomplished by a complex process in which a few words register immediately in what we have called residual memory. These are normally words which indicate a "change of state" of the input (in particular they may mark the beginning or end of lists) and they are recalled either alone or as the beginning or end points of short forward or backward sequences. Other words in the list are recalled (if at all) as members of these sequences. Parallels are drawn with other memory functions, such as serial rote learning. The conclusions drawn are supported by showing that there is a degree of similarity in the patterns of recall of members of radically different language communities (for example, English, Polish, Shona) and different age groups (5 years, 9-10 years, 14-15 years, adult).

Sex differences in serial learning for aged persons with high verbal ability.

Serial rote learning was examined in men and women with high verbal ability aged 60-74 years. No sex differences were found in total errors, commission errors, or omissions errors. The results are in accord with the findings reported in a study by Wilkie and Eisdorfer (1977) and suggest that high verval ability may, in part, mediate sex differences in serial learning.

Sex, verbal ability, and pacing differences in serial learning.

Serial rote learning was examined as a function of sex, verbal ability (average and high), and stimulus presentation rate (4 and 10 sec.) among 64 individuals aged 60-79 years. At the fast pacing speed, the men with average skills produced fewer responses and performed less well than their female counterparts whose performance was similar to that of the high verbal men and women. The average men benefited the most from the slower pacing speed. No sex difference was found at the 10-sec presentation speed.

Implications for Associative Processes of Switching the Middle of the List During Serial Rote Learning.

In an attempt to assess the degree to which specific stimulus-response associations are gradually acquired in learning a serial list, the order of the middle items was altered during acquisition. Five groups with 16 Ss per group had either no items switched, two items switched after four or eight test trials, or four items switched after four or eight test trials. The nonsense syllables were presented with slide projectors by means of standard serial anticipation procedures. Contrary to hypotheses, there were no overall differences between the four experimental groups and the control in trials to criterion or in total errors. However, although few experimental Ss reported noticing the switch, they made more errors on the trials immediately following the switch in comparison with the control group. These results are interpreted as disconfirming continuous, stimulus-specific association assumptions and supporting noncontinuous, nonassociative approaches.

Serial Rote-learning: Incremental or All-or-none?

If the associative connections in a serial list are acquired in an all-or-none fashion, rather than gradually with every trial adding an increment of associative strength, then changing the serial order of the middle items in the list during the course of practice should have no effect on the rate of learning the list as a whole or even of the particular items that have been interchanged. Thirty subjects learned a serial list by the anticipation method. The middle items of the list were reversed in serial order approximately half-way through the number of trials required for mastery. The subjects took no longer to learn the list and made no more errors than did 30 control subjects for whom there was no change in serial order. The serial-position curves of the two groups were almost identical. It was also shown that the learning “curves” of single items in the series, when plotted for individual subjects do not reveal a gradually increasing probability of the correct response, but show instead a sudden jump on one trial from the chance guessing level to a level close to 100 per cent, correct responses. The results are consistent with a non-incremental theory of serial learning.

ROLE OF POSITIONAL CUES IN SERIAL ROTE LEARNING.

ROLE OF POSITIONAL CUES IN SERIAL ROTE LEARNING.

The effect of a stimulant and a depressant drug on the serial rote learning of nonsense syllables.

1. The performance of two groups receiving 10 mg of amphetamine, a group receiving grains 4.5 of sodium amytal and a group receiving a placebo (on the serial rote learning of a list of twelve nonsense syllables) was compared. 2. On the basis of Eysenck's drug postulate and the postulates of rote learning it was predicted that: a) the bowing of the serial position curve would be least for the amphetamine groups; b) the amphetamine groups would reach a criterion of learning more rapidly; c) the amphetamine groups would show fewer behavioural oscillations; d) the amphetamine groups would show more associative errors. 3. Prediction c) was confirmed, predictions a) and d) were infirmed and prediction b) was confirmed although at an unsatisfactory level of confidence. 4. Various reasons for the lack of clear results were considered and stress was laid upon the limitations placed upon interpretation of them by virtue of the use of only two dosages of D. amphetamine and one of sodium amytal and the absence of any knowledge of the effects of cumulative dosages.

順向侵入・逆向侵入の分析的研究

In serial rote learning, inter and intra serial intrusions occur very frequently, though their precise nature has been known little for the following reason: as to experiments traditionally made, the numbers of items correctly reproduced and failed to reproduce were the subject matters of discussion and less attention had been payed to the role of intrusion.The present experiment was designed to analyse the phenomenon of intrusion in serial rote learning.This experiment was conducted with the modified reproduction method originally known as the retained members method.Each subject, after learning two (Exp. I, II) or three (Exp. III) series of alphabet letters, eighteen letters in one set, was asked to reproduce one particular series which had beforehand been designated by the experimenter.The experiments were so designed that the retroactive intrusion could be observed from Exp. I (test A 4-6) and Exp. II (test B 2), in which S was required, after learning two series, to reproduce the preceeding one. In other experiments, Exp. I (test A 1-3) and Exp. II (test B 1), S was ordered to reproduce the succeeding series which follows the first one, to see how the proactive intrusion occurs. In Exp. III (test C 1), three series of the letters were used to find out the dual effects of retroactive and proactive intrusions by asking S to reproduce the intermediate series.The following results were found through these experiments:1) The amount of correct reproduction in the beginning part of series is large and decreases towards the end of series (Exp. I)2) In overt interserial intrusions:i) Proactive intrusions tended to appear more frequently than retroactive intrusions.ii) Relative position of letters in stimulus series plays an important role, namely, the factor of transfer in interserial intrusion was revealed in this experiment.3) In overt intraserial intrusions, proactive intrusions were frequently found at the first half part of a series, while the retroactive intrusions at the last half. Contrary to the case of interserial intrusions, retroactive intrusions seemed to be more frequent than the proactive in numbers.4) What is hitherto called proactive and retroactive “inhibitions” can be explained through our present study as due to intrusions and in terms of competitions between intrusions and correct reproductive tendency.5) The authors considered proactive and retroactive intrusion as proactive and retroactive reproductions respectively. Thus the possibility that the learning process can be explained by the mechanism similar to the perceptual induction was suggested.

Perceptual Organization in Serial Rote-Learning

Perceptual Organization in Serial Rote-Learning

The role of overt errors in serial rote learning.

The role of overt errors in serial rote learning.

The role of anxiety in serial rote learning.

The role of anxiety in serial rote learning.

Absence of reminiscence in the serial rote learning of adjectives.

Absence of reminiscence in the serial rote learning of adjectives.

Group Pre-Training for Serial Rote Learning by Means of a Moving Picture Technique

Group Pre-Training for Serial Rote Learning by Means of a Moving Picture Technique

Anxiety-produced interference in serial rote learning with observations on rote learning after partial frontal lobectomy.

Anxiety-produced interference in serial rote learning with observations on rote learning after partial frontal lobectomy.