Comparison of Associative Learning under Three Methods and Three Directional Forms of Presentation

Abstract

Paired-associate recall was compared under three methods of presentation, prompting, correction, and non-correction arranged in forward, semibackward, and backward forms. The methods were characterized by pairs of events: RT-R for prompting, R-RT for correction, and R-KR for non-correction. These ordered pairs determined the number of correct pairings Ss could achieve in each method, the largest for prompting and least for non-correction. They served to predict the over-all speed of learning for the methods: fastest for prompting, slowest for non-correction. Directionality forms were characterized by pairs ST-R and ST-RT for forward, R-ST or RT-ST for semibackward, and R-ST and RT-ST for backward training. The number of backward pairs served to predict the differential speed of learning in each of the three directionality forms, fastest for forward, slowest for backward. The hypotheses were tested on a verbal-motor task and were confirmed.