False Recall of Critical Lures in Students with Diagnosed Learning Disabilities

Abstract

40 students (M age = 13.5 yr., SD = 1) from a rural south Georgia school system participated. 20 participants (11 boys, 9 girls) were receiving special education services for diagnosed learning disabilities, and 20 were general education students (10 boys, 10 girls). Students attempted to memorize a list of 15 words in 1 min., tried to recall the words, and then repeated the process for each of 10-word lists. As predicted, students with diagnosed learning disabilities recalled fewer words overall and fewer critical lures than did the general education students.

List Memory in Young Adults With Language Learning Disability

“…Brainerd et al (2006) found that 11-year-olds with LD produced fewer veridical recalls and CI intrusions for semantic DRM lists than their age peers and that their levels of veridical and false recall were similar to those of a group of 7-year-olds who did not have LD. Similarly, Branch et al (2007) found that sixth-to eighth-graders with LD (mean age = 13 years, 8 months) produced fewer veridical recalls and CI intrusions than age-matched peers for semantic DRM lists. The authors of these two studies interpreted the results as evidence for semantic processing deficits-specifically, a problem extracting semantic gistin school-age children with LD.…”

“…To our knowledge, this is the first study using the DRM paradigm with young adults with a confirmed LLD diagnosis. Two previous studies (Brainerd, Forrest, Karibian, & Reyna, 2006;Branch, Hilgert, Browne, & Monetti, 2007) with adolescents have reported reduced levels of false recall in individuals with learning disability (LD) relative to typical peers. Brainerd et al (2006) found that 11-year-olds with LD produced fewer veridical recalls and CI intrusions for semantic DRM lists than their age peers and that their levels of veridical and false recall were similar to those of a group of 7-year-olds who did not have LD.…”