ERIC Number: ED191210
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 1980-Apr
Pages: 35
Abstractor: N/A
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of Stimulus Presentation Rate on the Short-Term Memory of Learning Disabled Children.
Tarver, Sara G.; Ellsworth, Patricia S.
To test the hypothesis that the developmental lag in verbal rehearsal which has been documented for the learning disabled is due to a naming speed deficit (i.e., slow retrieval of stimulus names), the serial recall performance of 64 learning disabled children at four grade levels (1, 3, 5, and 7) was compared under three stimulus presentation conditions: a standard 2 second (2S) presentation rate which served as a control condition, a slower 6 second (6S) presentation rate, and a subject controlled (SC) variable stimulus exposure time. It was hypothesized that the 6S and SC conditions would facilitate the use of verbal rehearsal (as reflected in improved primacy recall) by allowing more time for retrieval and rehearsal of the names of the stimulus items (animal pictures). As predicted, the three stimulus presentation conditions affected primacy recall differently: SC produced the greatest primacy; 6S produced the greatest recency in combination with moderate primacy; 2S produced a recency, but no primacy, effect. In general, findings indicated that, for the learning disabled: slow naming of stimulus items contributes to deficient verbal rehearsal under rapid stimulus presentation rates, the experimental provision of additional time to retrieve and rehearse the stimulus names facilitates verbal rehearsal, and developmental increases in speed of naming precede developmental increases in the use of efficient verbal rehearsal strategies. (Author/SBH)
Publication Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: National Inst. of Education (DHEW), Washington, DC.
Authoring Institution: Wisconsin Univ., Madison. Research and Development Center for Individualized Schooling.
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A