Retroactive interference (RI) in prose learning was investigated in an experiment where passages were constructed on the basis of a predetermined logical structure. This structure made it possible to operationally define similarity and assess the effects of RI for inferential information as well as that stated directly in the original passage.…

An experiment designed to test the generality of Paivio's two factor theory of meaning to sentence comprehension was carried out, and two scoring procedures were investigated: a verbatim score in which sentence elements had to be recalled exactly as they appeared in the original, and a substance score in which synonyms were accepted. The subjects…

Asks whether what is taught in science class only makes sense to someone who already understands science. Discusses school science in terms of four questions: (1) What is to be taught?; (2) What conditions promote learning?; (3) What do students learn?; and (4) What are the cognitive processes in learners' minds? (Contains 17 references.)…

FIVE EXPERIMENTS WERE RUN AS A SERIES OF INITIAL EXPLORATIONS TO DETERMINE A WORKABLE, RESEARCH DEFINITION OF THE TERM "UNDERSTANDING" AND TO EVALUATE EXPERIMENTALLY ITS RELATIONSHIP TO DRILL, OR ROTE LEARNING. THE FIVE EXPERIMENTS DEALT WITH THE EFFECTS OF A VISUALLY IMPOSED COGNITIVE STRUCTURE UPON ROTE LEARNING, THE EFFECTS UPON ROTE LEARNING…

REINFORCEMENT CONCEPTS DERIVED LARGELY FROM RESEARCH OF SUBHUMAN SUBJECTS WERE TESTED FOR APPLICABILITY TO HUMAN-LEARNING SITUATIONS SIMILAR TO THOSE THAT OCCUR IN SCHOOLS. A SERIES OF EXPLORATORY STUDIES CONDUCTED IS DESCRIBED IN PART II OF THIS REPORT. IN PART III, TWO EXPERIMENTS CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE THE REINFORCING VALUE OF DIFFERENT STIMULI…

People sometimes forget a name or a word, and are plagued by the feeling that the sought-for word is somewhere in memory but not immediately available. The frequent description of this tip-of-the-tongue (TOT) phenomenon as subthreshold memory traces is challenged by data showing that TOT genesis and TOT recovery are distinct processes. In a verbal…

Compares two studies on the relation between comprehension and memory: (1) how access to text affected comprehension; (2) the effect of different learning goals (memorization or comprehension) on learning. Concludes that constructive learning activities are important for later utilization of information. Suggests a model of reading, learning, and…

The paired-associate learning of 52 fourth graders was related to measures of cognitive ability obtained the previous year. Subjects were administered the paired-associate task under one of three variations: at a comfortable rate with standard instructions; at a comfortable rate with a potentially effective learning strategy (visual imagery); and…

A study was made to determine how the rate of spelling and the retention of spelling words was influenced by the number and spacing of practice presentations on unlearned words. Sixth-grade students (42) in East Palo Alto were drilled by a computer for 6 weeks on six lists of 12 different spelling words each. They drilled on one list until (1)…

College students, in three experiments, learned to recite a counting pattern in the base three number system. Although all subjects learned to a criterion of two errorless trials, learning with different rule systems resulted in different levels of understanding and performance on transfer tasks. (GDC)

Discusses the use of simultaneous recitation as an instructional strategy in Baltimore's (Maryland) primary schools during the early part of the 19th century. Describes the classroom environment and attempts to use student monitors to make the simultaneous recitation approach more effective. (CFR)

Reports two studies comparing responses of Filipino and Nepalese students to learning process questionnaires to those for Australian and Hong Kong students. Presents evidence for a similar structure of learning processes in each culture. Concludes that little evidence supports the contention that Asian learners are more prone to rote learning than…

Focusing on how teachers can devise instructional routines to help students learn to learn, this paper discusses mechanisms for training students to devise their own strategies for learning. Because of the dominance of deliberate memory strategies in training research, the paper begins with a brief consideration of such literature, then proceeds…

Rote learning and retention performance was studied as a function of method used in original learning and as a function of intellectual level. Sixty educable mentally retarded and 60 mentally normal junior high school students were randomly selected and assigned to one of three treatment groups, each learning to a different criterion, for each…

This handbook was prepared for use in any classroom to aid the student in understanding how to become a better learner and how to learn meaningfully. This program is based on Ausubel's cognitive learning theory which places emphasis on the differences between meaningful learning and rote learning. To acquire knowledge meaningfully means that the…