Mediation instructions and word attributes in paired-associate learning

Abstract

Ss learned a list of noun paired-associates in which half the pairs were high and half were low in either their rated capacity to evoke images (I) or their meaningfulness (m). One group was instructed to use verbal mediators, another images, and a third, rote repetition to learn the pairs. While both word attributes were positively related to learning, I was clearly more effective than m. Recall was poorer for repetition Ss than for either of the groups given mediation instructions. Predicted interactions of word attributes and mediation set were not confirmed, possibly because Ss (according to post-learning reports) did not uniformly follow a given mediation set with all types of pairs. © 1967, Psychonomic Press. All rights reserved.