Abstract
Subjects learned a set of permutations of a base sequence of letters. A set of permutations either defined a hierarchical organization for the base sequence or did not. Sets that defined organizations led to more correct responses, and the pattern of interitem sequential dependencies revealed that subjects had learned the organization defined by a response set. Differences in learning could not be explained in terms of the frequency with which items occurred adjacently because that frequency was held constant for both organization-defining and organization-free response sets. The difficulty of learning a particular organization was related to the memory load induced by the organization, and those differences were more consistent with a model of sequential learning proposed by Johnson (1970) than they were with a model proposed by Estes (1972).
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This paper is based on a thesis submitted by the first author to Ohio State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the master’s degree.
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Marmurek, H.H.C., Johnson, N.F. Hierarchical organization as a determinant of sequential learning. Memory & Cognition 6, 240–245 (1978). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197452
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03197452