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A functional relation between learning and organization in free recall

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Abstract

It is well known that multitrial free recall is accompanied by increased organization of output over learning trials, even when the order of presentation is randomized. We compared the relation between learning and organization in 30 young and 30 older adults as they learned categorized materials to a criterion of 100% recall. The importance of this age manipulation was that it allowed us to examine, using two groups that differ significantly in their learning ability, whether organization and learning follow the same function. As was expected, older adults showed less organization on any given learning trial. However, when equated for degree of learning, the older adults showed approximately the same level of organization as the young. This finding suggests that the organization-learning relation remains invariant in the face of significant differences in participants’ mnemonic abilities.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Volen National Center for Complex Systems, MS 013, Brandeis University, 02454-9110, Waltham, MA

    Michael J. Kahana & Arthur Wingfield

Authors
  1. Michael J. Kahana
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  2. Arthur Wingfield
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Correspondence to Michael J. Kahana.

Additional information

The authors acknowledge support from NIH Grants AG15852 and MH55687. We also acknowledge support from the W. M. Keck Foundation. We thank Brian Kamins, Jill Garland, and Corina Kopp for assistance in all phases of this research. We also thank Masaki Horii for help with programming the experiment.

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Kahana, M.J., Wingfield, A. A functional relation between learning and organization in free recall. Psychon Bull Rev 7, 516–521 (2000). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03214365

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