Linguistic and Imaginal Mnemonics in Paired-Associate Recall*

nouns with imagery (I) ratings of 6 or Linguistic and imaginal mnemonics greater on a scale of 7, together with very high Thorndike-Lorge frequency of occurrence ratings, were used. An in paired-associate recall* attempt was also made to keep their meaningfulness (m) and concreteness ( c ) ratings as nearly the same as EDWIN G. AlKEN possible. To provide data on any Naval Personnel and Training Research Laboratory, San Diego, Calif. 92152 interaction between associational confusion and type of mnemonic aid, A comparison was made between mental imagery and sentence memorization 16 of the 64 nouns were selected to as mnemonic aids to the recall of noun-noun paired associates. Data were make up eight meaningfully similar obtained to allow postexperimental selection of Ss who appeared to have been sets of 2 each, e.g., flower and most proficient at carrying out the instructional sets associated with each blossom, sea and ocean, college and mnemonic. Data from these Ss were analyzed within a design permitting a study university. The remaining 48 nouns, of noun similarity and associational direction. Mental imagery was superior to on the other hand, were selected so as sentence memorization, recall of nonsimilar nouns superior to similar, and to have no direct meaningful similarity forward recall superior to backward. Also, a significant interaction indicated that among themselves or with the noun similarity produced relatively greater difficulty for the image-mnemonic meaningfully similar nouns. Each of Ss. It is concluded that the use of mental imagery in recall cannot be reduced the meaningfully similar nouns was entirely to linguistic mechanisms. imbedded in a different sentence. Thus, 16 of the 32 sentences Considerable research interest has imaginal strategy was preferred and contained a noun which was recently centered on the utility of most effective with concrete nouns. meaningfully similar to one of the mental imagery as a theoretical Paivio & Foth (1970) had Ss nouns in ·another sentence, while the construct in verbal learning and recall instructed to mediate imaginally to remaining 16 sentences contained (Bower, 1969; Bugelski, 1970; Paivio, draw their images, and those nouns not meaningfully similar to any 1969). However, the private nature of instructed to mediate verbally to write of the nouns imbedded in any of the mental images makes it difficult not their sentences. Under these 32 sentences. only to define the mechanisms of their conditions, verbal mediation was Certain rules govemed the pairing of effects, but to have assurance that the superior with abstract nouns and no uns. First, pairings with very high Ss are even engaging in imaginal imaginal instructions were superior probability associations, e.g., activity. These problems, combined. with concrete nouns. baby-crib, were avoided. Second, one with certain epistomological biases, The goal of the research here of the nouns with a meaningfully have predisposed radical behaviorists to reported was to compare a linguistic similar counterpart appeared as the equate, or parallel, mentalistic and an imaginal mnemonic aid to PA first and the other as the second noun constructs such as images with some learning and recall within a design in their respective senten ces. Table 1 sort of linguistic activity. An important which provided independent evidence presents the 32 noun pairs. The first theoretical question, therefore, is on the extent to which Ss given eight pairs in each column have the whether or not such equating is clifferent instructions were, in fact, meaningfully similar nouns underIined. justified. Can mental images be shown doing something different, so that The order of the 32 sentences was to aid recall independent of the only Ss apparently most successful determined randomly. mnemonic value of any hypothetical with each strategy could be compared. Each sentence was constructed such linguistic correlates? SUBJECTS that the two nouns in each pair Bower (1969) reported a number of The Ss were Navy recruits divided occurred in the orders shown in studies which circumstantially equally into two groups of 22. Table 1. Sentences were written in implicate images as independent aids LEARNING which the imbedded nouns were in to recall. His research and that of The basic task involved memorizing some sort of interaction. The others (Paivio & Yuille, 1969; Paivio & 32 noun pairs, each of which had been sentences were presented to the Ss in Foth, 1970; Rimm, Alexander, & imbedded in a sentence. The nouns booklets, with one sentence per page. Eiles, 1969) has attempted to compare were selected from the list scaled by The nouns to be associated were mnemonic strategies through different Paivio, Yuille, & Madigan (1968). Only underlined and capitalized in each instructions given the Ss. A question always remains as to whether or to Table 1 what degree the Ss are, in fact, N ouo Pairs Irnbedded in Senteoces tor Mernorizatioo following the instructions. If, as is 1. Hall-Car* 2. Autornobile-Coffee likely, Ss vary in their ability to form 3. Bottle-Flower 4. Blossorn-Comer mental images, then those low in the 5. Winter-House 6. Horne-Arm ability might seek out a linguistic 7. Sea-Fire-- 8. Truck-Ocean mnemonic despite instructions. 9. Rallroad-University 10. College-Palace Similarly, Ss particularly adept at 11. Rock-Toy 12. Horse-Stone imagery might use this aid even if 13. Baby-Shore 14. Coin-Infant 15. Mother-Studeot 16. Pupil-Girl explicitly istructed to use another 17. Wine-Ju~ 18. Circle-Building mediator. 19. Mountaio-Cottage 20. Bird-Meat Paivio & Yuille (1969) asked Ss 21. Cell-Nail 22. Book-Frog ibout the strategy they employed 23. Cabin-Door 24. Church-Grass :luring leaming and found that an 25. Table-Engine 26. Grandmother-Chair 27. Policemao-Tower 28. Street-Queen *The opinions and assertions contained 29. Sugar-Ship 30. Furniture-Pipe lerein are those of the writer and are not to 31. Village-Camp 32. Cat-Window )e construed as officiaJ or as reOecting the riews of the Navy Department or naval *Each of the first eight pairs in the first co/umn contains a meaning(ully simi/ar noun ~ervice. directly opposite in the second co/umn. They are underlined. [>sychon. ScL, 1971, Vol. 24 (2) 91 sentence. Example sentences are: "The of paper with 32 nouns and asked to exactly the sentences. Because the HALL echoed from the sounds of the write the noun that went with each in delayed test for PA recall was little boy racing his tiny CAR," and the 32 sentences. Half of the nouns on considered to be a more stringent test "The angry MOTHER was yelling at the sheet had appeared as the first of the two mnemonic strategies than the demonstrating STUDENT." noun and half as the second in the the immediate test, the delayed LEARNING: sentences, Le., half required S to sentence modi ficatio n-correction INSTRUCTIONAL SETS produce a forward and half a scores were used for selecting Ss. Half the Ss were given instructions backward association. In the test, half For the mental imagery group, a to use a mental-imagery strategy to aid of the meaningfully similar nouns, i.e., rated image intensity score was associating the noun pairs, while the nouns meaningfully similar to nouns in obtained for each S by summing the other half were instructed to other sentences, required forward and ratings over the 32 sentences. For memorize the sentences as an aid. All half backward association. A subsequent analyses, the data on the Ss were given 10 sec to study each constraint was that the meaningfully highest and lowest scoring half of each sentence and told that the recall test at similar nouns were always to be instructional group was compared the end would require that they written in by S; they never appeared as separately (N = 11 in each group). respond with one of the the cueing nouns on the recall sheet. Obviously, this selection of Ss did underlined-capitalized words from Similarly, half of the nouns from not rule out the possibility that the each sentence when shown the other. sentences containing meaningfully instructional sets were still being Ss instructed in an imaginal mnemonic dissimilar nouns required forward and violated, but it did provide subsets of were told to create as vivid and active half back ward association. The order Ss for both groups who appeared to be a mental image as possible of the scene of the nouns was determined best at the particular mnemonic aid described in each sentence to be used randomly for the two testing assigned them. Some additional later as a context for recall of the occasions, with the constraint that at evidence on wh at the noun pairs. Ss instructed to learn the least three items intervene between imagery-instructed Ss were doing was sen tences were told to try to nouns requiring responses from the obtained fm the extent of their memorize exactly each sentence to be meaningfully similar noun set. For incidental sentence memorizing as used later as a context for associating example, the noun requiring the word compared with the intentional the noun pairs. "baby" as the correct response was at memorizing of the other group on the Both to increase the probability least three nouns separated from the delayed sentence modification that the instructional sets were being noun calling for "infant" as the correction task. This was examined, followed and to index roughly response. Ss were given 10 min to and aIthough some incidental individual differences in the ability to write down as many noun associates as memorization of the sentences was follow them, Ss in both instructional possible. shown, it was significantly less groups were required to carry out two Finally, a second form of the (t = 4.04, P < .005) than that shown different subsidiary tasks parallel to sentence modification-correction task by the Ss instructed to memorize.

Load more