Development and use of a phonological recoding strategy for a short-term memory task by normal and mentally retarded subjects

Abstract

Research has indicated t at language, in the form of the "inner language" described by Vygotsky (1962), plays a major mediational role in learning. Researchers have described a "phonological" recoding strategy which seems to develop in normal children with the acquisition of receptive and expressive language skills (Conrad, 1971;Sperling, 1963;Locke and Kutz, 1975;Wickelgren, 1965;Hintzman, 1967). However, the mentally retarded population has been described as having a "mediational deficiency" (Luria, 1961;Gallagher, 1969;Kendler and Kendler, 1962), although results have not been conclusive. 2The purpose of the present study was to investigate the presence or absence of a phonological recoding strategy in the mentally retarded population by using a memory matching exercise with visual ~timuli.Pictures of conunon objects were divided into eight pictures with names that sound alike (homophonous) and eight with names that do not sound alike (non-homophonous). The null hypothesis tested was:No statistically significant difference will be found between mentally retarded and normal subjects in the development and use of a phonological recoding strategy for a short-term memory task, when the subjects are matched for ~eceptive vocabulary $ge.The rounger Receptiv~ Vocabulary Age (RVA) CQ~parison group (An) subject~ were the only group that showed evidence of use of a phonological code; therefore, the null hypothesis was r~jected. The younger RVA experimental group (A ) performed as well ae the A group, but did mr n not use a phonological code. The older RVA comparison group (B ) n performed better than a11· the other groups in accordance with their increased language capacity, but they did not exclusively use a phonological code. The older RVA experimenta~ group (B ) made fewer mr correct matches, on t~~ average, than all the other groups, and did not use a phonological code.These results did not conform to the research upon which the present study was based. In explanation, a number of factors must be considered: setting, words used, examiner, and factor held constant.Other factors which may have affected results are: institutionalization, rate of presentation, and the definition of short-term memory that was used.After all these factors have been considered, it may be postu-3 lated that the difference in scores between groups may have been due to the fact that the mentally retarded group never acquired a "learning set," or never "learned how to learn." This resulted in increasingly deficient performances on learning tasks as the ~asks became more difficult. It also may be postulated that the "learning set" i-elated to short-term m~mory tasks involves as its basis the use of a phonological recoding strategy, which may predominate in n~f1Jl81 children a~ lower levels o~ performance and then, as the indivi4ual becom~& more competent, recede into a more diverse reperto~re Qf ~e4rnin$ str~te gies. This postulation would tak~ Vygotsky one st~p fur~p~r •.The process of diversification of learn.ing stfa.tes.ies was observe~...