An experimental demonstration of unconscious mediated association.

Bugelski, B. R.; Scharlock, Donald P.

doi:10.1037/h0055302

Cited by 67 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 5 publications

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“…One explanation is that at least some mediators are unconscious. This was originally put forward by Bugelski and Scharlock (1952) on the basis of findings obtained using the A~B, B-C, A-C transfer paradigm. Although the learning of A-C pairs was facilitated by having previously learned the A-Band B-C pairs, none of the subjects reported using B items as mediators in learning the A-C pairs.…”

Section: No Mediatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The availability and effectiveness of reported mediators in associative learning: A historical review and an experimental investigation

Richardson

1998

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

117

137

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This paper provides a historical review and empirical investigation of the availability and the effectiveness of different types of mediator in associative learning, as inferred from subjects' retrospective reports. Mental imagery is a preferred mediational strategy in the learning of pairs of common concrete nouns, and its use is associated with a high level of recall performance. Its availability and its effectiveness are both enhanced if subjects are given interactive imagery instructions. It is argued that retrospective mediator reports provide valid accounts of the cognitive processes that occur at the time of learning and that playa causal role in determining the subsequent level of retention.A fundamental notion in memory research over the last 40 years is the idea that people engage in cognitive processing that determines how well the information in question is remembered. These cognitive activities are generally thought to be under strategic control and available to conscious awareness. It follows that they can be manipulated by giving instructions to experimental subjects to set about learning in different ways, and that they can be studied by asking people to describe how they have in fact set about particular learning tasks. These latter accounts are of interest in their own right and also provide a means of checking whether subjects have actually complied with instructions to use different learning strategies.One of the earliest studies to collect such accounts was described by Reed (1918aReed ( , 1918b. He asked 27 subjects to learn four sets of paired associates: two sets consisted of unrelated pairs of English words, the third set consisted of German words paired with their English translations, and the fourth set contained pairs of consonant-vowelconsonant (CYe) nonsense syllables. (The subjects were apparently not familiar with German.) When the subjects were asked how they had tried to remember the pairs of words, they tended to report associative aids based on shared semantic features or on linking images or phrases; however, in the case of the other sets, they were more likely to report the use oflinking English words that were phonemically similar to the pair as a whole.

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Section: No Mediatorsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The availability and effectiveness of reported mediators in associative learning: A historical review and an experimental investigation

Richardson

1998

Psychonomic Bulletin & Review

117

137

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…These results favor the contention that mediational processes involve "conscious" attention to their use (cL, Martin & Dean, 1964;Stein, 1966) rather than the view that mediation occurs "unconsciously" (cL. Bugelski & Scharlock, 1952;Russell & Storms, 1955;Peterson, 1963). However, the strategy-analysis was post-hoc so that its results must be considered suggestive, not definitive.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 75%

The effects of differential acquisition-stage emphasis and auto-instructions upon verbal mediating responses

Peterson

Hillner

1966

Psychon Sci

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Mediated responding was studied as a function of the "emphasis" given to the ac quisition-stage items. Mediated responding was evinced when Ss reported that they had attempted to consider the acquisition pairs while making their choice on the test trial. The greatest evidence of mediated facilitation was obtained when all stimulus items of the acquisition pairs and when the critical response term were emphasized during the acquisition stages. Note 1.

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“…The design was based upon the procedure of Peters (1935), as later adapted by Bugelski and Scharlock (i952)> with the major pomts of (1) three separate sessions of paired-assoaate leammg, with 48 hours mtervenmg (S was usually tested on Monday, Wednesday, and Fnday, with the actual hour of testmg ahoays identical on each day), (2) three hsts of tngrams to be associated A, B, and C Joseph F Rychlak facihtates leammg, then the B list should hasten leammg at A-C, as compared to an A-C hst which has not had the benefit of common B-mediators Bugelski and Scharlock (1952) were mterested m A-C leammg to determme if mediation vs no-mediation exerted a differential experimental effect Their hypothesis, which received only weak support, was that mediation did facihtate leammg at A-C, with S actmg as his own control (1 e, S leamed a sublist at A-C with no common B-mediator, though everythmg else was comparable as to practice, AV, etc ) In the present study, although each S agam acted as his own control, the interest was m the possible uncontrolled (in the earher work) infiuence of RV on mediation There was no A-C condition without a common B-mediator in the present study Five PPI tngrams on each of the three hsts (A, B, and C) were identified from the PPI as hked (L), five as disliked (D), and five as ambivalent (A) An S therefore leamed a list of 15 paired associates on each of the three expenmental days The 15 tngrams m each hst were equated for AV so that S leamed paired associates at A-B, B-C, and A-C of eqmvalent meamngfulness as defined by Archer's norms (i960), but, S's paired associates for each of these expenmental days were broken dovwi mto three sublists of five pairs diffenng m RV. He always leamed five pairs (subhsts) havmg the RV charactenstics of h-h, D-D, and A-A, subhsts were not leamed serially, however (see below)…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reinforcement value: a suggested idiographic, intensity dimension of meaningfulness for the personality theorist

Rychlak

1966

J Personality

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There are two generally conceded aspects to the meanmg of language the denotative and the coimotative meanmgs it bears. Meanmg refers to the intent or the aim of an item of communication, vi^hether that item be a wntten or spoken word, statement, or possibly even some nonverbal sign or token like a raised eyebrow Meanmg is therefore tied to the very mtention of a language system, as an act of expression, including the biased vantage of a pomt of view When the mtent is marked out plainly and clearly, so that complete understanding is easily reached between commumcants, we speak of denotative meaning When the mtent or aim goes beyond the more clear-cut denotations and suggests less clear mtents, we speak of the connotative meanmg of an item of communication. The item of communication "mother" has an exphcit denotative meanmg, easily defined on the basis of genetic ties, but the connotative meanmg of the term is considerably more complex and more difficult to identify for any given communicant at any given point in timeIt IS for this reason that we have had to rely on an mdirect estimate of what has been called "meanmgfulness" m order to study the eflEects of meaning on the learnmg, retention, etc of verbal matenals As Noble (1963) has said, meanmgfulness is not to be confused with meanmg Meanmg is a relational term, implymg that "this" verbal item (mother) has certam specified relations to "that" complex of items (denotative genetic and familial ties, connotative emotive or symbohcal ties, etc ) Meanmgfulness, on the other hand, is an attempt to assess the range of convenience which any given verbal item occupies in the

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An experimental demonstration of unconscious mediated association.

Cited by 67 publications

References 5 publications

The availability and effectiveness of reported mediators in associative learning: A historical review and an experimental investigation

The availability and effectiveness of reported mediators in associative learning: A historical review and an experimental investigation

The effects of differential acquisition-stage emphasis and auto-instructions upon verbal mediating responses

Reinforcement value: a suggested idiographic, intensity dimension of meaningfulness for the personality theorist

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