Abstract
Seventy-three fifth-grade students were taught nine North American minerals and their corresponding hardness levels under either mnemonic (pegword/keyword) or free-study conditions. In the zero-repetition (standard) condition, each mineral was paired with a unique hardness level (1–9); in the one-repetition condition, three hardness levels were each represented by two different minerals (and three hardness levels by one mineral); and in the two-repetition condition, three hardness levels were each represented by three different minerals (and three hardness levels by one mineral); and in the two-repetition condition, three hardness levels were each represented by three different minerals. In all repetition conditions, mnemonic subjects significantly and substantially outperformed students who were given free study. Possibilities for adapting mnemonic techniques to overcome stimulus-produced interference are discussed.
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Scruggs, T.E., Mastropieri, M.A. & Levin, J.R. Can children effectively reuse the same mnemonic pegwords?. ECTJ 34, 83–88 (1986). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02802580
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02802580