Acquisition and retention of a mediational strategy for PA learning in EMR children

The ability of EMR children to acquire and retain a mediational strategy for PA learning was demonstrated by a training procedure which consisted of the sequencing of consecutive lists under varying degrees of mediational facilitation. The components of the training procedure included training interval, overt verbalization, and verbal context combined with imagery instruction. Forty-five EMR children (mean CA = 11.26; mean IQ = 63.33) were randomly assigned to one of three groups: mediation, standard, and control. Analyses of data showed significantly superior performance of the mediation group in acquisition and retention of the mediational strategy. The pedagogical implications of the study were discussed.