Effects of selective item repetition and of finger tapping on primary school children's recall performance in a multi-trial experiment.: An empirical analysis of two basic assumptions of the optimization model

The optimization model, which is a subtheory within the fuzzy-trace theory, claims that verbal items are retrieved from long-term memory in a weak --> strong --> weak order. This cognitive triage pattern of recall has been attributed to the dynamic interaction of memory strength, episodic activation, and output interference. According to a basic assumption of the optimization model, inter-item strength differences are invariant in free-recall experiments, Additionally it is assumed that an accumulation of output interference is responsible for the rotation from weak into strong words. This assumption implies that the cognitive triage pattern should be less pronounced and the recall performance should be poorer when the level of output interference is high at the beginning of recall. Due to age differences in the sensitivity to the effects of output interference the cognitive triage pattern and the recall performance should be more adversely affected in younger children when the level of output interference is high during the recall phase. In order to examine the two assumptions of the optimization model, second and fourth graders learned two lists of semantically unrelated words which were presented once, twice, or four times within the lists. The level of output inteference was artificially increased by finger tapping throughout recall production. The empirical findings did not confirm the assumptions of the optimization model. Memory strength of the items did change as a result of the experimental manipulation. Additionally, recall performance was not poorer in the finger-tapping condition though the cognitive triage pattern was somewhat less pronounced in this condition. Age-related effects of output interference on the cognitive triage pattern and the level of recall could not be shown.