The mnemonic consequences of semantic, acoustic, and orthographic encoding and the relationships between encoding and retrieval cues were investigated in an incidental-learning experiment involving 24 first-, third-, and fifth-grade pupils. Each child was asked one orienting question for each of 18 words; the questions differed in the type of encoding intended and in the congruity between the word and the associated question. The presentation was followed by a 90-second free recall period for the 18 words and then by a retrieval cue for each word. There were three main findings: semantic was superior to nonsemantic encoding in both free and cued recall; a congruous relationship between the target word and the orienting question yielded better free recall for third and fifth graders and better cued recall at all three grades; and congruity between the retrieval cue and the target word was more important as a determinant of a cue's mnemonic value than experimental contiguity. (AA)