Abstract
In two experiments, free recall of lists of familiar unrelated words was higher for sixth-graders than third-graders and for lists presented four times at a 1-sec rate than once at a 4-sec rate before testing. In neither experiment did the interaction between age and presentation rate approach significance. Thus, the age difference in recall apparently was due not to differences in rehearsal strategies, but principally to semantic memory differences that influence the memorial effectiveness of initial perceptual operations as well as rehearsal.
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We are grateful to the district officials, teachers, and children in the Mt. Prospect schools, whose cooperation made this study possible.
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Hall, J.W., Tinzmann, M.B. Presentation-rate effects and age differences in children’s free recall. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 23, 227–229 (1985). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329834
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03329834