The effect of list length and stimuli type on young adults’ utilization of mnemonic strategies
Presenter Type
UNO Undergraduate Student
Major/Field of Study
Psychology
Other
Psychology and Philosophy
Advisor Information
Adjunct Faculty, Department of Psychology
Location
CEC RM #116
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Start Date
22-3-2024 10:30 AM
End Date
22-3-2024 11:45 AM
Abstract
Authors: Hunter Skogerboe1, Rebecca L. Wagner2, Angela M. AuBuchon3
1University of Nebraska Omaha
2Pennsylvania State University
3Boys Town National Research Hospital
Introduction: Mnemonic strategies allow us to make efficient use of our limited cognitive resources. Currently, strategies are seen as working independently and are organized into simply “less efficient” strategies and “more efficient” strategies. Such classification is flawed—multiple strategies can be utilized simultaneously, and the classification is circular, as it is both determined by and used to explain memory performance. The overall goal of the current research was to examine the viability of a strategy classification system defined independently of accuracy performance. Of particular interest is whether some strategies, like rehearsal, serve as a foundation that other strategies build upon.
Methods: In the present study, 77 adults completed a series of serial recall tasks which varied by the to-be-remembered information (auditorily presented digits, visually presented digits, long words, short phonologically dissimilar words, phonologically similar words, and visuo-spatial locations). Task stimuli were selected based on prior reports of how they interact with the utilization of specific strategies. Throughout each task, participants were asked to report the frequency with which they utilized seven common mnemonic strategies. The current project focused on the relationships among four strategies: rehearsal, mental imagery, grouping, and spatial patterns. Rehearsal is the continued verbal repetition of an item label or set of item labels. In contrast, mental imagery is the reliance on visual representations of the to-be-remembered items. Grouping relies upon perceptual cues – such as pauses or prosody – to organize a list into multiple subsets of items. Creating a spatial pattern requires the strategic arranging of items into an imaginary, distinct spatial organization.
Results: When remembering stimuli conducive to rehearsal, participants who reported grouping also reported reliance on rehearsal. While remembering stimuli less conducive to rehearsal, participants who reported using grouping also reported using mental imagery. However, not all participants who rehearsed or used mental imagery reported using grouping.
Conclusion: Participant reports in the present study indicate that grouping may be dependent on the employment of a more basic strategy, such as rehearsal or mental imagery. Such a claim positions grouping as a possible “meta strategy” and rehearsal or mental imagery as basic strategies. These findings call into question the historical approach to the classification of mnemonic strategies and propose an updated method for their classification.
The effect of list length and stimuli type on young adults’ utilization of mnemonic strategies
CEC RM #116
Authors: Hunter Skogerboe1, Rebecca L. Wagner2, Angela M. AuBuchon3
1University of Nebraska Omaha
2Pennsylvania State University
3Boys Town National Research Hospital
Introduction: Mnemonic strategies allow us to make efficient use of our limited cognitive resources. Currently, strategies are seen as working independently and are organized into simply “less efficient” strategies and “more efficient” strategies. Such classification is flawed—multiple strategies can be utilized simultaneously, and the classification is circular, as it is both determined by and used to explain memory performance. The overall goal of the current research was to examine the viability of a strategy classification system defined independently of accuracy performance. Of particular interest is whether some strategies, like rehearsal, serve as a foundation that other strategies build upon.
Methods: In the present study, 77 adults completed a series of serial recall tasks which varied by the to-be-remembered information (auditorily presented digits, visually presented digits, long words, short phonologically dissimilar words, phonologically similar words, and visuo-spatial locations). Task stimuli were selected based on prior reports of how they interact with the utilization of specific strategies. Throughout each task, participants were asked to report the frequency with which they utilized seven common mnemonic strategies. The current project focused on the relationships among four strategies: rehearsal, mental imagery, grouping, and spatial patterns. Rehearsal is the continued verbal repetition of an item label or set of item labels. In contrast, mental imagery is the reliance on visual representations of the to-be-remembered items. Grouping relies upon perceptual cues – such as pauses or prosody – to organize a list into multiple subsets of items. Creating a spatial pattern requires the strategic arranging of items into an imaginary, distinct spatial organization.
Results: When remembering stimuli conducive to rehearsal, participants who reported grouping also reported reliance on rehearsal. While remembering stimuli less conducive to rehearsal, participants who reported using grouping also reported using mental imagery. However, not all participants who rehearsed or used mental imagery reported using grouping.
Conclusion: Participant reports in the present study indicate that grouping may be dependent on the employment of a more basic strategy, such as rehearsal or mental imagery. Such a claim positions grouping as a possible “meta strategy” and rehearsal or mental imagery as basic strategies. These findings call into question the historical approach to the classification of mnemonic strategies and propose an updated method for their classification.