Psychology ETDs

Publication Date

2-21-1974

Abstract

Current paired-associate (PA) research has questioned the traditional role of imagery in young children's memory representations. In the present study it was hypothesized that the developmental trend of PA findings reflects an artifact of the procedure, i.e., decoding, rather than the actual memory representation employed by the child. To minimize response learning and decoding and obtain a more accurate assessment of the mediator modality utilized by the child, the present study employed a two-choice delayed matching-to-sample task. A total of 80 middle socio-economic level children of two age levels, 4 and 7, participated in a three-stage study: acquisition, in which the effect of mediation instructions and spontaneous use of mediators upon initial learning was assessed; post-acquisition, in which the delay was increased in order to assess the effectiveness of established mediators in bridging an increase in delay; and oddity transfer, in which the effectiveness of mediators in abstract tasks was assessed. In the initial phase of the study two forms of verbal instructions were used. Ss were asked either to generate their own verbal code or to utilize a verbal code supplied by E. Imagery instructions asked S to image the picture sample during the delay. Control Ss were instructed in the matching task. To insure that verbal as well as visual mediators were equally effective in mediating the matching task, pictorial stimuli and response terms were employed in which the identity response was an easily verbalized concept. Introspective reports of S's use of mediators were also obtained to determine both the extent to which instructions were followed and which mediators Ss spontaneously employed. A difference in mediator use and efficiency was demonstrated to be a function of age in this study. Young children employed imagery mediation spontaneously in the control condition as did older children. There was no difference between the control condition and the instructed imagery condition for young children. Performance in both verbal conditions was markedly inferior for young children to performance in imagery and control conditions. In contrast, older Ss benefited most from E-supplied verbal mediators, next from imagery and control conditions and least from self-generated verbal mediators. Post-acquisition data revealed that E-supplied mediators for older children were most effective in bridging the increase in delay. Similarly, significant transfer in the oddity task was shown only for the verbal-induced condition for older children. The most salient point made by this study was that the age trend in PA studies was an erroneous conclusion based upon an artifact of the procedure. Traditional views of the importance of imagery in preliterate children's learning were reaffirmed. In addition, this study stressed the role of verbal as opposed to visual mediators in tasks requiring a long delay or involving an abstract relationship.

Degree Name

Psychology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Psychology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Sidney Rosenblum

Second Committee Member

Douglas Peter Ferraro

Third Committee Member

Peder Jack Johnson

Fourth Committee Member

Marc Hanna Irwin

Fifth Committee Member

Richard Jerome Harris

Language

English

Document Type

Dissertation

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