Symmetry of the Paired-Associate Bond

Abstract

The nature of the paired associates bond was discussed in terms of the following hypotheses which were confirmed by experiment. Unidirectional lists are learned more rapidly than bidirectional ones, and this is related to greater item learning in the latter. A unidirectional transfer series A-B, B-A requires as many total trials for mastery as does a bidirectional list, and recall following transfer is equal to recall following bidirectional learning. The usual anticipation method yields greater availability for recall of B members. The association value of the syllables is important in item learning. The bond was made symmetrical or asymmetrical depending upon the task set for S.