Flexibility in Children's Use of Spatial and Categorical Organizational Strategies in Recall

Abstract

Two studies investigated flexibility in children's use of spatial and categorical clustering strategies in recall. In Study 1, 10-, 12-, 14-, and 16-year-olds and adults recalled the furniture from their home. Ten-year-olds organized furniture categorically, and 16-year-olds and adults organized items spatially. Twelve- and 14-year-olds exhibited equal levels of spatial and categorical organization. Study 2 investigated how encoding experiences and the recall task influenced the degree of spatial and categorical organization in 10- and 12-year-olds' recall. When recalling objects, 10- and 12-year-olds exhibited higher levels of categorical than spatial organization. When recalling objects and their locations, 12-year-olds exhibited more spatial than categorical organization. Results are discussed in terms of age and task influences on flexibility of strategy use.