Noun-Pair Learning in Children and Adults: Underlying Strings and Retrieval Time

Children learn noun pairs more efficiently in noun-verb-noun-conjunction-pronoun (NVNCP) contexts than in noun-conjunction-noun-verb-pronoun (NCNVP) contexts. However, the performance of college students does not differ as a function of context type. Pacing rate at retrieval was manipulated in the present investigation to assess a possible explanation of this difference. The design included 2 3 X 3 X 4 factorials, 1 for each age group. The principal variables were Pacing Rate (2 sec vs. 3 sec vs. 6 sec); Context Type (NCNVP vs. NVNCP vs. control); and Trials. Pacing rate at retrieval was not relevant to the presence or absence of a difference in performance associated with context type.