Serial-Position Curve of Verbal Learning after Prolonged Practice

Abstract

This study investigated the effect of prolonged practice on the serial-position curve of learning. Thirteen Ss learned to a criterion of two perfect recitations by the anticipation method 12 different serial lists of 10 nonsense syllables, one list being learned each day. The hypothesis was that the skewness of the serial-position curve is produced by S's span of immediate memory. The prediction was that an increase in the memory span due to practice would cause an increase in the skewness of the serial-position curve. The skewness of the serial-position curve did increase with practice as predicted, but internal relations in the data implied a causal mechanism which was unrelated to memory span. Instead, Ss improved in the use of a strategy which employed the first serial item as an anchor item for directing learning.