Title

Assessing Developmental Differences In Retention

Abstract

The studies were designed to determine whether retention rates are age-dependent during childhood. In all studies 2nd and 4th graders were tested for incidental recall of paired associates following a 48 h retention period. These studies differed with respect to how degree of learning was controlled methodologically (i.e., trials-to-criterion or fixed-trials), and in the case of Study 3 a 7th grade group was also included. Despite variations in procedure, the pattern of results across all three studies was remarkably consistent. Specifically, traditional measures of absolute and conditionalized recall suggested that older children displayed better retention than younger children. However, when the same data were reevaluated using a technique (Underwood's successive probability analysis) that statistically controls for degree of learning, developmental differences in retention largely disappeared. This finding suggests that many earlier reports of ontogenetic changes in retention are due to the persistent and confounding effects of acquisition performance on measures of recall. © 1991.

Publication Date

1-1-1991

Publication Title

Journal of Experimental Child Psychology

Volume

51

Issue

3

Number of Pages

348-363

Document Type

Article

Personal Identifier

scopus

DOI Link

https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-0965(91)90082-4

Socpus ID

0040005315 (Scopus)

Source API URL

https://api.elsevier.com/content/abstract/scopus_id/0040005315

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