What is learned in serial learning

Summary A transfer experiment was performed under conditions that would permit S s who first had learned a serial list to a criterion of mastery to “use” either positional associations or sequential S-R associations in the subsequent learning of paired associates (PAs) formally comprised of the same S-R connections existing in the piror Ser list. The principal results were as follows: (a) There was no significant over-all transfer from Ser to PA learning, in terms of total trials to criterion, for either the Positional or Sequential conditions. (b) There was significant Ser to PA transfer for both conditions only in the first third of the trials to criterion, after which transfer rapidly declined to zero. The Positional and Sequential conditions did not differ significantly in this respect. (c) The percentage of transfer is significantly related to serial position; those items at the beginning and end of the Ser list show positive transfer and those in the middle show zero or negative transfer. The results were interpreted as supporting neither the position association nor the S-R “chain” association conceptions of Ser learning, and an alternative hypothesis was proposed for further consideration.

[1]  R. K. Young,et al.  A comparison of two methods of learning serial associations. , 1959, The American journal of psychology.

[2]  L. A. Jeffress,et al.  Cerebral Mechanisms in Behavior , 1953 .

[3]  Geoffrey Keppel,et al.  Serial position as a stimulus in serial learning , 1964 .

[4]  A. Jensen,et al.  Transfer between paired-associate and serial learning. , 1963 .

[5]  K. Lashley.  The problem of serial order in behavior , 1951 .

[6]  Benton J. Underwood,et al.  Stimulus Selection in Verbal Learning. , 1963 .

[7]  B. Underwood,et al.  Meaningfulness and verbal learning , 1960 .

[8]  Ernest S. Primoff.  Backward and Forward Association as an Organizing Act in Serial and in Paired Associate Learning , 1938 .

[9]  W. F. Battig,et al.  SERIAL POSITION AND SEQUENTIAL ASSOCIATIONS IN SERIAL LEARNING. , 1964, Journal of experimental psychology.

[10]  Charles N. Cofer,et al.  Verbal behavior and learning: Problems and processes. , 1963 .

[11]  Robert K. Young,et al.  Backward serial learning , 1963 .

[12]  R. K. Young,et al.  Tests of three hypotheses about the effective stimulus in serial learning. , 1962, Journal of experimental psychology.

[13]  Sheldon M. Ebenholtz,et al.  Position mediated transfer between serial learning and a spatial discrimination task. , 1963 .

[14]  R. W. Schulz.  Generalization of serial position in rote serial learning. , 1955, Journal of experimental psychology.

[15]  S. Ebenholtz,et al.  SERIAL LEARNING: POSITION LEARNING AND SEQUENTIAL ASSOCIATIONS. , 1963, Journal of experimental psychology.

[16]  R. K. Young,et al.  Paired, Associate Learning as a Function of Rate of Presentation and Prior Serial Learning , 1963 .

[17]  W. A. Winnick,et al.  ROLE OF POSITIONAL CUES IN SERIAL ROTE LEARNING. , 1963, Journal of experimental psychology.

[18]  R. K. Young,et al.  Serial learning as a function of prior paired-associate training. , 1963, The American journal of psychology.

[19]  W. Thurlow,et al.  Determinants of the effect of position in serial learning. , 1963, The American journal of psychology.

[20]  Solomon E. Asch,et al.  Perceptual organization in serial rote-learning. , 1960 .