The four experiments of this study represent the first stage on a program of research designed to clarify the nature and development of certain implicit verbal behavior and to move toward application of this knowledge to school learning situations and problems. Specifically, the experiments were created to investigate some aspect of the implicit associative response (IAR). The subjects were presented with one list of words, then were presented with a partially different list, and then were asked to identify those words which also appeared on the first list. On the second list were also new words with and without an associational value to the first-list words. The subjects mistakenly recognized more nonfirst-list associated words than nonfirst-list nonassociated words. Such a mistake is considered to be the effect of IAR. The results of the four experiments indicated that (1) when children were asked to use the strategy of association in learning the first-list words, IAR was facilitated; (2) when children were asked to pronounce each word in the first list as they learned it, the IAR effect was reduced; and (3) the IAR effect was reduced with the age of the child. (WD)