Elaboration propensity and formal operational ability

Propensity for elaboration has been hypothesized by Rohwer (1976) to account for age and individual differences in performance on paired-associate tasks. Elaboration propensity refers to the spontaneous association of two members of a pair by creation of an event or situation which joins the words. The construction of a sentence connecting the two words is an example of an elaboration strategy. According to Rohwer (1976), the use of elaboration techniques increases effective storage of information and thereby enhances retrieval. Rohwer, Raines, Eoff, and Wagner (1977) reported both age and individual differences in propensity for elaboration. Postadolescents (ages 16 to 17 years) who showed high proficiency on a paired-associate task demonstrated a propensity for elaboration. Preadolescents (ages 11 to 12 years) and postadolescents who performed with a medium or low proficiency on a paired-associate task demonstrated a minimal or weak elaboration propensity