Incidental and Intentional Learning of Economic Information in Beginning Typewriting

Abstract

105 beginning typewriting students of above and below average IQ were assigned to an Incidental or Intentional Learning Group. The Incidental Learning Group typed 20 5-min. writings on the topic of economics over a 5-wk. period. They were not told to read or study what they typed. The Intentional Learning Group followed the same format with the exception that they were told to read and concentrate on the material being typed. Ss in the intentional group learned significantly (P.₀₀₁) more economic concepts and achieved significantly (P.₀₆) greater speed gain than Ss in the incidental group. There was no significant difference in the rate of accuracy between the two groups. Ss of above average IQ in both learning groups learned significantly more economic concepts than those of below average IQ.