Verbal Rehearsal and Visual Imagery

Abstract

Investigations were made of the effects of verbal rehearsal, visual imagery, and “unaided” instruction on reading comprehension in learning-disabled children. In the main experiment, 30 learning-disabled children were randomly assigned to verbal rehearsal, visual imagery, and “unaided” instruction groups. Retention was measured immediately after reading the story; after 15 minutes; and one week later. A 3x3 analysis of variance found that verbal rehearsal and visual imagery significantly increased comprehension. A small-N study conducted later to determine the effects of mnemonic instruction over repeated sessions with four learning-disabled children with different WISC-R patterns yielded similar results. These studies support the contention that reading comprehension difficulties among learning-disabled children are partly due to inefficient memorization strategies, and demonstrate the efficacy of practical, cost-effective mnemonic-training procedures which significantly increase reading comprehension in learning-disabled children.

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