Date of Award
Spring 5-2002
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Honors College
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Reginald Rackley
Second Advisor
Dr. Joyce W. O'Rourke
Third Advisor
Dr. Beverly Wade
Abstract
The purpose of the present research was to compare recall of serial lists of verbal materials as a function of the method of learning in terms of free and serial recall. The participants consisted of 166 undergraduate college students ranging in age from 18 - 35 years old. The participants were randomly assigned to conditions of free or serial recall with the restriction that there were an equal number of male and female participants in each condition. The dependent variable recall measured the number of correct responses under each learning condition. The investigator read a list composed of 15 words at a rate of about one word per second to the participants. After the words were read, the investigator allowed the participants 60 seconds for recall. The scores for each recall condition were entered into an independent samples t test. The results of the present research indicated that participants tested under the level of free recall had a higher number of correct responses than, those who were tested under the level of serial recall. With an alpha level set at .05, the independent samples t test results were highly significant, ! (164) = -17.4, Q = .001. While, the mean number of correctly written responses (with standard deviations in parentheses), for those who had free recall and those who had serial recall was 7.05 (1.58) and 2.63 (1.69), in order. It was confirmed that under specific conditions, those participants under free recall had a greater number of correct responses, compared to participants under serial recall.
Recommended Citation
Ducre, Kimberly, "The effects of free and serial recall conditions on the retrival of information from short-term memory" (2002). Electronic Dissertations and Theses. 30.
https://digitalcommons.subr.edu/dissertations_theses/30