The Efficacy of a Mnemonic Technique for Learning Disabled and Nondisabled Adolescents

Abstract

Sixty junior high school students, half classified as learning disabled by their school and half as non-disabled, were subjects in a replication and extension of a mnemonic study by Bugelski. Half the students were taught the peg-word rhyme, “one-bun, two-shoe, …, ten-hen,” and practiced visualizing four target lists of words interacting with the rhyme words. The other students served as controls, learning the list in whatever way they chose. Retention tests were conducted immediately after the last list was learned, one week later, and five months later. In a 2 $$ 3 analysis of variance, all main effects and interactions were significant. The peg-word mnemonic technique increased the memorability of paired-associates for both groups, by a factor of 2.3 vs. 2.4 at the immediate retention interval, with differential longer term retention slightly favoring the nondisabled.