A Comparison of Different Prose-Learning Variations of the Mnemonic Keyword Method

Abstract

Seventh- and eighth-grade students were presented fictitious biographies to remember. Keyword students were instructed to use a prose-learning adaptation of the mnemonic keyword method, and control students were left to their own devices. In the initial experiment, each of three variations of the keyword method, differing in terms of the manner in which the mnemonic images were organized, resulted in significantly higher levels of recall than did control instructions. Moreover, the keyword groups could be distinguished from the controls, as well as from one another, on the basis of qualitative differences in their recall patterns. In a subsequent experiment, the basic findings were replicated using both immediate and delayed recognition tests.