Stimulus concreteness, response characteristics, and the recognition-recall method in paired-associate learning

Stimulus-word concreteness and type of response were varied in 2 studies with 212 undergraduates, using different versions of the recognition-recall method for paired-associate learning. With stimulus-recognition ratings, criterion shifts were suggested that were a joint function of stimulus concreteness and type of response (noun, number, or CVC trigram). When criterion shifts were controlled with a forced-choice recognition procedure, stimulus concreteness was found to affect response recall strongly even when it did not affect stimulus recognition for noun-CVC pairs as well as noun-noun pairs. The rating-bias effects and a triple interaction among distractor similarity, stimulus concreteness, and type of response suggested that response terms may affect stimulus processing even with highly codable stimuli and representative responses. Despite this and other potential artifacts of the recognition-recall method, results are seen as providing support for A. Paivio's (1971) interpretation of stimulus-concreteness effects with noun-CVC pairs. (18 ref)