Semantic effects on ordered recall

Abstract This paper investigates the effect of blocking words according to semantic category on ordered recall in adults and young children. Experiments I and II used adult subjects and categorized lists which were either completely blocked or randomized. Blocking increased recall at all presentation rates, including a fast rate of four items per second. Experiments III and IV used preschool and first-grade subjects and a variety of types of lists: noncategorized, within one category, or containing several categories completely or partially blocked. Blocking increased recall even though the presence of partially categorized and noncategorized lists reduced the basis for forming subjective expectations of category relatedness. Experiment V, which used only completely blocked and noncategorized lists, thus providing more basis for forming expectations of category relatedness, showed a blocking effect no greater than that in Experiment IV. It was concluded that the effect of blocking is automatic, due to the structural organization of semantic memory.

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