Abstract
Recent studies suggest that children younger than 8 years old fail to use imagery instructions, resulting in memorial deficits. This inferior recall performance has been ascribed to encoding, storage, and/or retrieval deficiencies. One method recently used to assess the encoding/storage vs. the retrieval effects of imagery instructions on recall is to employ imagery instructions with or without a partial picture during the learning and/or recall phase of the study. The present study employed a 2 (imagery, no-imagery instructions) by 2 (partial picture during story, no partial picture during story) by 2 (partial picture during questioning, no partial picture during questioning) factorial design, with first-grade children as subjects. Recall of items specified in narrative passages was the dependent variable. Recall of narrative prose for 6-year-old children was consistently facilitated by partial pictures during story presentation. Imagery instructions were ineffective in facilitating recall.
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This research was supported by funds from the National Institute of Mental Health, PHS, 1R01MH36491-01, and the Wake Forest University Research and Publication Fund to Charles L. Richman.
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Wooldridge, P., Nall, L., Hughes, L. et al. Prose recall in first-grade children using imagery, pictures, and questions. Bull. Psychon. Soc. 20, 249–252 (1982). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334830
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03334830