Note on Interaction between Cognitive and Endocrine Functions

Relationships between learning rate and adrenaline output were examined. Ability to learn nonsense syllables by the serial anticipation method was significantly superior for a group of high-adrenaline secreters to that of a group of low-adrenaline secreters. The difference in learning rate may reflect a direct effect of adrenaline on the brain.

Anticipation vs Recall in the Paired-Associate Learning of Intellectually Average and Retarded Subjects

A P-A (visual materials) study was conducted with 24 intellectually average and 24 educable mentally retarded individuals of high school age. Each S received 2 equivalent tasks, one in the anticipation method of presentation and the other in the recall method. The learning speed of the average Ss was significantly superior to that of the retardates. Method of presentation did not influence the learning of the average Ss but learning in the recall presentation was superior for retarded Ss.

Symmetry of the Paired-Associate Bond

The nature of the paired associates bond was discussed in terms of the following hypotheses which were confirmed by experiment. Unidirectional lists are learned more rapidly than bidirectional ones, and this is related to greater item learning in the latter. A unidirectional transfer series A-B, B-A requires as many total trials for mastery as does a bidirectional list, and recall following transfer is equal to recall following bidirectional learning. The usual anticipation method yields greater availability for recall of B members. The association value of the syllables is important in item learning. The bond was made symmetrical or asymmetrical depending upon the task set for S.

Relationship between Scaled Familiarity, Rate of Learning, and Extent of Recall in Connected Discourse

Scaled familiarity values were obtained for 19 24-word passages of connected discourse using the successive categories scaling method. The passages ranged from an item on the sporting page of a newspaper to a fifth-order approximation to English. Eight passages, lying at approximately equal intervals along the scale, were set on memory drums. 64 Ss learned them by the serial-anticipation method and relearned them 1 wk. later. Learning rate and extent of recall showed a steady decrease as familiarity with normal English sentences fell, whereas a fall in familiarity with abnormal English passages was accompanied by a rise in both learning rate and extent of recall. It is suggested that the relationship between familiarity scale values and extent of recall is an artifact resulting from the fact that differing degrees of associative strength at the end of learning were not controlled.

Mediated Facilitation: Comparison of Two Methods and Two Paradigms

The present study was designed to compare the anticipation and pairing-test methods of paired-associate presentation in a three-stage mediation design. In addition, a comparison was made of the mediation effects in chaining and response equivalence paradigms. The results indicated a mediation effect in all conditions, but there was essentially no difference between the chaining paradigm and the response equivalence paradigm. Comparisons of methods of presentation indicated that the pairing-test method was superior to the anticipation method on the two acquisition stages of the three-stage design. However, on the final or test stage the two methods of presentation did not differ.