Pictorial and verbal factors in the efficient learning of paired associates.

Abstract

An experiment was designed to assess 2 methods of facilitating the acquistion of paired associates. Each of 96 3rd-and 96 6th-grade children was asked to learn a list of 24 pairs by a study-test method. The pairs were either pictures of objects or the printed names of those objects. As each pair was presented, the experimenter uttered 1 of 4 kinds of verbalization: (a) the names of the objects; (b) the names of the objects connected by a conjunction; (c) the names of the objects connected by a preposition; and, (d) the names of the objects connected by a verb. For both older and younger Ss, pictorial materials produced more efficient learning than printed materials and verb connectives uniformly facilitated acquisition. The relationship between connective form class and amount learned was such that verbs produced more learning than prepositions and prepositions produced more than conjunctions. The form of this relationship varied with materials and with grades.

Good and poor readers’ learning of verbal and pictorial paired-associate lists

“…The explanation may be inherent in the fact that Cooper's list included pictures only, while the lists used in the other studies included words or word-like stimuli. The finding of Rohwer, Lynch, Levin, & Suzuki (1967) that third and sixth graders unselected as to reading ability learned more pairs when PA items were pictures rather than words provides some support for this notion: The general advantage derived from responding to pictures might be even greater for poor readers, who have every reason to respond negatively to words.The present study was done to determine whether verbal and pictorial presentations of items would differentially affect good and poor readers' performance with a PA task. The predictions were that (a) in general, good readers, fifth graders and Ss responding to pictorial items would make fewer errors in learning a PA list than poor readers, second graders, and Ss responding to verbal items, and (b) specifically, poor readers would make more errors than good readers with verbal items, but with pictorial items the performance of the two groups would not differ.…”

Interrelations in Children's Learning of Verbal and Pictorial Paired Associates1

“…I n general, t h i s research has shown t h a t children l e a r n associations more e a s i l y when p i c t u r e s r a t h e r than words a r e used (e.g., Rohwer, 1968; Rohwer, Lynch, Levin t i Suzuki, 1967) and, i n the case of' verbal materials, when the words a r e concrete r a t h e r than a b s t r a c t (e.g., Paivio & Yuille, I n one s e r i e s 1966).…”

“…Rohwer, Lynch, Levin t i Suzuki, 1967) and, i n the case of' verbal materials, when the words a r e concrete r a t h e r than a b s t r a c t (e.g., Paivio & Yuille, I n one s e r i e s 1966).…”

“…of investigations, t h e learning of problems employing concrete nouns has been compared with performance on t a s k s using p i c t o r i a l represent a t i o n s of those nouns. Another s e t of studies has contrasted the l e a r n i n g of a b s t r a c t and concrete verbal materials-that is, words which d i f f e r i n t h e extent t o which they can be represented p i c t o r i a l l y .I n general, t h i s research has shown t h a t children l e a r n associations more e a s i l y when p i c t u r e s r a t h e r than words a r e used (e.g., Rohwer, 1968;Rohwer, Lynch, Levin t i Suzuki, 1967) and, i n the case of' verbal materials, when the words a r e concrete r a t h e r than a b s t r a c t (e.g., Paivio & Yuille, I n one s e r i e s 1966).Although it i s generally agreed t h a t v i s u a l imagery plays a t l e a s t some r o l e i n producing these e f f e c t s , the nature of t h i s r o l e remains l a r g e l y undetermined on the basiis of the simple Lntertask comparisons which have been performed. The f a c t t h a t p i c t u r e s a r e e a s i e r t o l e a r n than words, f o r example, can be i n t e r p r e t e d i n e i t h e r of two ways.…”

A Guide for the Application of Performance-Structure Oriented CAI in Naval Training: A Working Paper

“…) (2) Providing mediating pictures facilitates learning. (Davidson, 1964;Reese, 1965;Rohwer, Lynch, Levin, and Suzuki, 1967;Lippman and Shanahan, 1973;and Nelson and Brooks, 1973. ) Individual differences in effective imagery potential affects learning Individuals classified as high in ability to image recalled or recognized more than those rated low in imaging ability.…”