Experiment on the effectiveness of imagery as a learning strategy. Ess

Experiment on the effectiveness of imagery as a learning strategy. ABSTRACT The present study investigated whether imagery enhance recall. The relevant literature on free recall with instructions to form images was examined, that implied that recall is facilitated in high frequency word but can be influenced by different forms of instructions. To this end, 72 degree students were presented with two lists each of 30 words to be learned at two different levels ( moderate imageability and high imageability) followed by three instructions (control, single, and linked); the time allowed for image formation was 5 sec. with 1 sec. gap after every third word. Recall conducted after the completion of distraction task after each list of words and then evaluated. Each subject participated in both experimental conditions. The results indicate that imagery do enhance recall, particularly high imageability words were significantly better recalled then moderate imageability words and no-significant differences were reported between the two conditions and instructions. INTRODUCTION Memory is a complex multiple systems for storing and retrieving information that are acquired through senses (Baddeley, 1999). To research memory several different factors are taken into consideration (Eysenck events (stimuli such as words or text), participants (vary in age, experience and specific disorders), encoding (varies as a function of task instructions) and retrieval (e.g. free recall) (Jenkins, 1979 Paivio, Yulle Morris 1972) have been carried out to look for the evidence that link imagery and free recall, thus inconsistency prevailed. This could be a result of image; a mental representation of a visible object stored in memory or imagination (Richardson, 1999) or to other covarying variable such as semantic similarity ( Morris 1972) or perhaps a lexical complexity (Kintsch, 1972). To investigate these inconsistencies in the linking images and free recall Morris and Stevens (1974) conducted three slightly different experiments. The first two experiments investigated how imagery helps memory. They used 72 high imageability nouns (Paivio et all., 1968) divided into three lists of words with two orders (forward single and control conditions did not differ whereas linking imagery differed from other conditions. In the third experiment they investigated if the recall in single images is really no better than a no-instruction control group. Only 30 high imageability nouns were used (Paivio et all., 1968) in three random orders, with the same design as in the first study but in three trials and instructions with or without imagery. Words were presented in equal intervals (5sec) followed by the three minutes recall and collect recall sheets. No significant differences were observed between conditions or improvement in all trials. The aim of the present study give an a ccount of replicating the findings of Morris and Stevens (1974) by using different word list and length along with the slightly different instructions to find if imagery as a study strategy aids free recall of words when words are imaged independently of one another. In addition, moderate imageabillity nouns were used along with high imageability nouns to extend Morris and Stevens (1974) studies by testing the benefits of imagery limited to words highly imageable. The hypotheses The use of imagery as a study aid will increase word recall and there will be a difference in recall for high imageability as opposed to the moderate imageability words in all three instruction conditions. METHODS Design The 2 factor mixed ANOVA design was used. The two independent variables were two factors. Factor one was imageability of words with two manipulated levels (moderate /high) and it was a within groups factor. The second factor was a study instructions with three manipulated levels (control, single and triple imagery) and it was a between group factor. The dependent variables were the number of words correctly recalled. To eliminate primacy effect and to allow for practice, the first six items were excluded. Participants An opportunity sample of seventy two psychology students from the University of Bolton took