IMMEDIATE MEMORY SPANS FOR CVC TRIGRAMS
Abstract
Immediate memory spans were obtained for groups of homogeneously meaningful CVC trigrams selected so as to sample the entire range of Archer's norms. The items at the lowest level were nonsense syllables of the lowest possible association value. At the opposite extreme were highly meaningful three-letter words. The design of the study involved the use of two types of instruction, the first calling for the ordering of recall and the second calling for free recall. For each type of instruction there were two modes of recall, namely, spelling and pronunciation. Pronunciation yielded appreciably higher memory spans than spelling. In spite of the freedom permitted in the instructions for free recall, the Ss tended to reproduce the items in the order of their presentation. There was an apparent tendency for the spans to increase with meaningfulness at a positively accelerated rate when the Ss spelled the items. An attempt is made to relate these findings to a group of tenable theoretical assumptions. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jan 01, 1962
- Accession Number
- AD0275492
Entities
People
- W.a. Bousfield
Organizations
- University of Connecticut