Abstract
Kindergarten, fourth-grade, and college Ss were tested on a recognition reaction-time task with memory sets of two, three, and four items. Though overall reaction time (RT) varied with age, the slopes of the functions relating RT to size of the memory set did not differ significantly as a function of age. Within the context of a theory of recognition memory developed by Sternberg (1966), the results suggest that young children scan memory for familiar pictures as quickly as do adults.
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References
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This study was supported by the United States Public Health Service, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, Grant No. HD-02086. The cooperation of Walls Elementary School and Kent State University School of Kent, Ohio, is gratefully acknowledged.
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Hoving, K.L., Morin, R.E. & Konick, D.S. Recognition reaction time and size of the memory set: A developmental study. Psychon Sci 21, 247–248 (1970). https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332467
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.3758/BF03332467