AN EXAMINATION OF THE ROLE OF MEANINGFULNESS IN PROSE LEARNING

The present series of experiments attempted to examine the effects of the meaningfulness of to-be-learned material on retention in light of recent challenges to the contextualist position. Experiment 1 examined influence of common information on retention of information. Meaningfulness of simple, declarative sentences was manipulated by cue words while controlling for words shared between sentence idea units and time of activation of idea units. Free recall protocols were scored for the total number of idea units recalled and the total number of logical extensions of idea units. Results indicated a significant main effect on the meaningfulness dimension with recall and logical extensions of meaningfully cued sentences significantly greater than recall of nonmeaningfully cued or noncued sentences. Experiment 2 examined the influence of temporal contiguity in the activation of stimulus material. Meaningfulness of simple, declarative sentences was manipulated through the use of cue words. Sentence-cue latency period and cue location were experimentally manipulated. Analysis of idea units recalled and logical extension indicated that meaningfulness significantly enhanced recall but did not influence logical extensions. In addition, recall improved as the sentence-cue latency period increased. Experiment 3 examined meaningfulness within a paragraph structure while controlling for activation of memorial traces. Meaningfulness of the paragraph was manipulated by the presentation of different visual scenes that varied the degree of comprehensibility of the paragraph content. Activation of memorial traces was manipulated by repetition of four sets of designated phrases immediately after their occurrence in the paragraph. Analysis of the idea units recalled showed that meaningfulness enhanced recall. Activation of memorial traces through repetition did not significantly enhance recall. Analysis of number of logical extensions showed that they were significantly greater for the nonrepetitive phrase group. All three experiments support the contextualist position that memory is more than a hierarchical structure of associations and do not support the position that memory is solely affected by phrase repetition and temporal proximity of memorial traces