Improving recall in retarded persons: consistency of ordering and simultaneity of presentation

Consistency of ordering (blocked, random) and presentation method (simultaneous, sequential) were investigated in a multi-trial, free recall task with sixty educable mentally retarded adolescents. In a blocked-simultaneous condition, five groups of three stimuli were presented consistently in the same groups from trial-to-trial as well as simultaneously with three words on a slide. The blocked-sequential condition maintained the consistent ordering, but only one item at a time was presented. In a random-simultaneous condition, stimuli were presented not in consistent, but in changing, groups of three. A random-sequential treatment used both inconsistent ordering and sequential presentation. Results showed that consistent ordering led to facilitation of organisation and recall both from recency and other list serial positions. Subjective organisation and clustering were also enhanced by simultaneous presentation. It was concluded that if one instructional strategy had to be chosen in an applied context, it should be consistent ordering accompanied by simultaneous presentation.