Effects of Different Mediational Instructions and Sex of Subject on Paired-Associate Learning of Concrete Nouns

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Abstract
The present investigation compared the relative effectiveness of four differing instructional sets on the paired-associate acquisition of concrete nouns. Possible sex differences were also examined. The instructional sets included standard paired-associate instructions (Minimal instructions), Rote Rehearsal, Verbal Mediation (requiring that S use a sentence or phrase containing both members of a given pair) and Visual Imagery Mediation (requiring that S create an imagined scene depicting both objects which the words of the pair represented). Consistent with previous findings, acquisition was greatly facilitated under Visual Imagery Mediation. Discrepant with past findings, however, performance under Verbal Mediation, although slightly superior to performance under the standard and rehearsal sets, was significantly inferior to performance under imagery instructions. Sex of S was not significantly related to performance.