Effects of Feedback, Instruction, and Initial Performance level upon Training and Persistence of Verbal Rehearsal

This study investigated variables which contribute to acquisition and maintenance over one week of trained verbal rehearsal in the performance of serial recall by 84 kindergarten and first-grade children. Children with low and high pretest recall were given rehearsal training with or without trial-by-trial feedback alone, along with a "looking" strategy, or along with the looking strategy and with instructions to compare the relative success of rehearsal and looking. Consistent with findings on acquiring Piagetian abilities, initial performance was a major determinant of effects of training on posttest performance. Only high scorers increased in rehearsal and recall during the pretest. Given training, however, all groups of low and high scorers increased in use of rehearsal, recall, and reported verbal memory aids from pretest to posttest one week after training. Feedback aided all groups' recall during training, but did not affect maintenance of rehearsal.