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Verbal Learning
...the acquisition and retention of verbal information
In everyday terms, it’s like “memorization”.
Verbal Learning
Serial and paired-associate learning go on all the
time, often in the same situation, like memorizing
your sign-in name and password for an E-mail
account:
Sign-In Name
sniffy
Password
tarlautriv
Memorizing the letters of your password would be an
serial
example of ________________ learning.
Typing “sniffy” under Sign-In Name rather than
paired-associate learning.
“tarlautriv” is an example of ______________
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Password
tarlautriv
Verbal Learning
Password
tarlautriv
Verbal Learning
Password
tarlautriv
virtual rat
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Password
tarlautriv
virtual rat
You can create a password by thinking of easy-to-
remember words like these, then writing them
backwards. When logging in, just remember the words
and type them in backwards.
These are examples of mnemonics, strategies people
use to improve memory by reorganizing information.
Mnemonics involve applying rules for putting
information into memory (encoding) and for getting it
out again (retrieval).
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Next time you see her, will you remember her name?
Paired-Associate Learning.
This is ____________
Verbal Learning
Paired-Associate Learning.
This is ____________
Verbal Learning
Learning to Spell
Serial
This is ____________ Learning.
Verbal Learning
Hermann Ebbinghaus
His book, On Memory
(1885), showed how
experimental methods
could be used to measure
the learning and retention
of verbal items arranged in
lists.
Verbal Learning
Ebbinghaus rigorously controlled the
timing, the order of presentation, and
number of practice trials, all key
factors in learning according to
associative theory.
Amazingly, he served as his own subject! But his
findings have been repeated countless times in
conventional experiments.
Rather than memorize poems, speeches, or other
writings, he created lists of artificial verbal units called
“nonsense syllables” like the ones on the left. Each
consisted of a consonant, then a vowel, then a
consonant.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
He assumed he would be equally
unfamiliar with each nonsense syllable
at the beginning of practice. One list
would be like any other. This was a
form of experimental control.
We now know that his assumption was wrong.
Nonsense syllables, like words, have degrees of
meaning.
Researchers measure the “meaningfulness” of an item
in terms of how readily it reminds you of a word, like
how many words you can think of in 10 seconds.
The more meaningful items are, the faster they’re
learned and the longer they’re remembered.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Ebbinghaus directed his attention to
one nonsense syllable at a time, going
from one item to the next according to
a time schedule.
Verbal Learning
Serial Learning
Anticipation Procedure
The first item the subject sees is an arbitrary
symbol, like *, then they see one item at a time for
a certain number of seconds...
jur
foh
bok
*
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Serial Learning
Anticipation Procedure
From Trial 2 on, when subjects see a certain item,
they try to say the item that comes right after it;
they “anticipate” the next item.
Subject says...
jur
foh
* bokjur
foh
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Serial Learning
Anticipation Procedure
Each item that appears provides feedback on the
previous response and acts as a cue for saying the
next response.
Subject says...
bok taw
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Serial Learning
Complete-List Procedure
Cognitive researchers favor a procedure in which
subjects receive the complete list during a study
trial. They can look at any items in any order for
as long as they want.
Nonsense!
Verbal Learning
Paired-Associate Learning
Verbal Learning
Paired-Associate Learning
Anticipation Procedure
Each pair of items is presented in a 2-step procedure.
In the first step, the stimulus is presented alone, and
and the subject tries to state the response that goes
with it. In the second step, the stimulus and response
items appear together. This gives the subject feedback
and another opportunity to learn the association.
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Paired-Associate Learning
Anticipation Procedure
Stimulus Response
bok
foh taw
jur
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Paired-Associate Learning
Study-Test Procedure
There are two kinds of trials. On a study trial, the
subject sees each complete pair of items. Then there
is a test trial in which the subject is presented the
first item of each pair and is asked to state the item
that goes with it.
Study Trial Test Trial
foh - jur foh -
bok - taw bok -
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Verbal Learning
Free Recall
This procedure resembles serial learning. You are
given a list of words and immediately afterwards you
try to recall them. But it can be in any order. It
doesn’t have to be the original order like in serial
learning.
It’s like remembering a shopping list: cereal, apples,
milk, bread, cookies.
Verbal Learning
Measuring Learning (Acquisition)
Ebbinghaus counted the number of
study trials he needed to reach a
criterion of mastery: one recitation of
the list without an error.
Verbal Learning
Measuring Memory (Retention)
Verbal Learning
Measuring Memory (Retention)
Savings Score
Verbal Learning
Measuring Memory (Retention)
Savings Score
12 – 4
X 100
12
= 67%
This means that 67% of the original information
was retained during the interval between learning
and testing.