Free-recall learning of word lists by prelingual deaf subjects

This study examined the extent of influence which an extremely impoverished acoustic-linguistic system exerted on multitrial free recall of word lists, using 36 prelingual deaf and 36 normal-hearing S s of two age levels. In comparison with the hearing S s, the deaf S s′ recall performance was poor and their span of “echoic” memory tended to be short. Between the two groups, there was a considerable amount of common features in mnemonic organizations, as assessed by Tulving's subjective organization, Bousfield's clustering, and Johnson's hierarchical clustering schemes. The deaf S s were, however, less efficient and showed no developmental improvement in these measures. These results suggest that acoustic-linguistic mediation is also crucial for deaf S s′ free-recall learning of verbal materials.