Relationship between Scaled Familiarity,Rate of Learning,and Extent of Recall in Connected Discourse

Abstract

Scaled familiarity values were obtained for 19 24-word passages of connected discourse using the successive categories scaling method. The passages ranged from an item on the sporting page of a newspaper to a fifth-order approximation to English. Eight passages, lying at approximately equal intervals along the scale, were set on memory drums. 64 Ss learned them by the serial-anticipation method and relearned them 1 wk. later. Learning rate and extent of recall showed a steady decrease as familiarity with normal English sentences fell, whereas a fall in familiarity with abnormal English passages was accompanied by a rise in both learning rate and extent of recall. It is suggested that the relationship between familiarity scale values and extent of recall is an artifact resulting from the fact that differing degrees of associative strength at the end of learning were not controlled.