Effects of frequency of prior incidental occurrence and recall of target words on anagram solution

Abstract

Anagram solution was investigated as a function of the frequency of occurrence of target words in an immediately preceding, and presumably unrelated, word-completion task. Word recall in that task was found to be a negatively accelerated function of the frequency of occurrence. Anagram solution, however, was found to be inversely related to recall (recalled words were reliably less likely to be solved) and also, although not reliably, to the frequency of recurrence of target words in the prior task. These results are interpreted as suggesting that cognition, at least under some circumstances and as measured by recall, may be inversely related to transfer and, more generally, that cognitive factors need to be supplemented by noncognitive factors in the interpretation of learning and transfer.The problem with which this experiment was concerned is the role of frequency of incidental occurrence , and subsequent recall, of target words prior to anagram solving in which the words are part of some of the solutions .This work relates most directly to previous research both on incidental learning and on anagram solving. Frequency of incidental cue occurrence has been shown to be a significant determinant of recall (e.g., Cowan, 1980). In anagram research, one report (Dominowski & Ekstrand , 1967) has indicated that prior presentation of semantic associates to target words can facilitate solution , although such associative priming was not confirmed in a later report (J ablonski & Mueller, 1972). In both of these experiments, however, facilitation of anagram solutions was found when the priming list was composed of target words themselves. METHOD SubjectsFifty high school students (30 female, 20 male) from two psychology classes participated. . TasksIn Task I , the subjects were instructed to fill in one-lett er gaps in three-and four-lett er common English words, so as to make complete words; they were given three trials on each of This work was support ed in part by a Research Career Award from the National Institute of Mental Health and a grant from the Army Research Institute for Behavioral and Social Sciences. Th e opinions expressed herein are those of the author and do not constit ute endorsement by the U.S. Army. Thanks are due Joan Girnis, psychology teacher at Naples (F lorida) High School, for making her two classes available for this research, which was conducted in accordance with approved safeguards. James Broyles assisted in preparation of test materials , and Kathleen Marx assisted in the collection and analysis of the data. 24 words (e.g., ti.;e, _ now, _ ot). A 2-min free recall test was administered with out advance notice for complete words after the third trial. Task 2 was then presented as a separate experiment ; the subjects were given 48 anagrams to solve. Each anagram consisted of the scrambled letters of a common twoword phrase. DesignEach of the 24 words presented in Task 1 offered an opportunity to complete a word that was subsequently part of a solution in Task 2 (e.g., tire for flat tire,~no...

Inhibition of learned-response availability: Reduction of cued retrieval by frequency of occurrence and prior recall of target words

“…Both of the counterintuitive results reported by Marx (1982) are supported by the analyses in this study. The inhibitory effect on subsequent retrieval of prior recall of a word completed one time is especially striking.…”

“…We conclude that the inhibitory effect of prior recall on transfer reported by Marx (1982) is also characteristic, at least for small frequencies of occurrence and for relatively long delays before testing, for the kind of cued retrieval that was used in the present experiment.…”

“…The present study was planned to replicate these somewhat surprising, counterintuitive results. Marx (1982) had used two-word anagrams consisting of common English phrases (e.g., hot dog, snow fall, flat tire) after one of the words had been used with varying frequency in the word-completion test , which was followed immediately by a free-recall test. The first letter of each word was provided (e.g., hd ) to facilitate anagram solution in the restricted time period allowed.…”

Interactions among gender and task variables in retention of verbal materials

“…That report showed a surprisingly strong inhibitory effect of a single recall on F1 words even after a full 14-day delay (cf. also Marx, 1982). Resistance to this inhibitory effect of recall was observed in both F2 and F3 words, and especially for the short delay intervals.…”

“…In each letter string, one word had been used in the initial word-completion task and one had not. The major results were that females showed not only the usual superiority in retaining verbal materials, but also greater resistance to the inhibiting effects of a single prior recall on subsequent cued retrieval (Marx, 1982;Marx & Kim, 1984-a prior report of part of this experi· ment). Female superiority in free recall was due largely to less forgetting of the more frequently completed words over the longer test intervals.…”