TY - JOUR
T1 - Serial and subjective clustering on a verbal learning test (VLT) in children aged 5–15: The nature of subjective clustering
AU - Meijs, Celeste
AU - Hurks, Petra
AU - Rozendaal, Nico
AU - Jolles, Jelle
N1 - DS_Citation:Meijs, C., Hurks, P., Rozendaal, N., & Jolles, J. (2013). Serial and subjective clustering on a verbal learning test (VLT) in children aged 5–15: The nature of subjective clustering. Child Neuropsychology, 19, 385-399.
PY - 2013
Y1 - 2013
N2 - This study investigated which strategies children aged 5–15 years (N =408) employ while performing
a multitrial free recall test of semantically unrelated words. Serial clustering (i.e., a relatively passive
strategy) is an index of the sequential consistency of recall order. Subjective clustering (i.e., a more
active strategy) is based on similar word groupings in successive trials. Previously, Meijs et al. (2009)
found that the level of (serial and subjective) clustering increases with age. At all ages, the level of
serial clustering correlates positively with the ability to recall information on VLT trials. However,
subjective clustering is more predictive of VLT performance than serial clustering after ≥ 3 trials, but
only in children aged 8+. Knowledge on how children organize words (based on, for example, sound
or meaning) and how this relates to developmental stage is still lacking. This study revealed that the
level of subjective clustering is primarily determined by the position of words in a VLT list. More
specifically, primacy (i.e., recall of words 1–3 of the VLT list—whether recalled in the same order or
reversed) and recency (i.e., recall of words 14–15) effects primarily determine level subjective organization
over successive trials. Thus, older children still organize words based on the serial position of
the VLT list and are much less likely to organize them based on any other feature of the words, for
example, sound or meaning. This indicates that the most important information to be learned needs to
be presented first or last, even in older children and even with repeated presentations.
AB - This study investigated which strategies children aged 5–15 years (N =408) employ while performing
a multitrial free recall test of semantically unrelated words. Serial clustering (i.e., a relatively passive
strategy) is an index of the sequential consistency of recall order. Subjective clustering (i.e., a more
active strategy) is based on similar word groupings in successive trials. Previously, Meijs et al. (2009)
found that the level of (serial and subjective) clustering increases with age. At all ages, the level of
serial clustering correlates positively with the ability to recall information on VLT trials. However,
subjective clustering is more predictive of VLT performance than serial clustering after ≥ 3 trials, but
only in children aged 8+. Knowledge on how children organize words (based on, for example, sound
or meaning) and how this relates to developmental stage is still lacking. This study revealed that the
level of subjective clustering is primarily determined by the position of words in a VLT list. More
specifically, primacy (i.e., recall of words 1–3 of the VLT list—whether recalled in the same order or
reversed) and recency (i.e., recall of words 14–15) effects primarily determine level subjective organization
over successive trials. Thus, older children still organize words based on the serial position of
the VLT list and are much less likely to organize them based on any other feature of the words, for
example, sound or meaning. This indicates that the most important information to be learned needs to
be presented first or last, even in older children and even with repeated presentations.
KW - verbal learning
KW - learning strategy use
KW - PVLT
KW - development
U2 - 10.1080/09297049.2012.670215
DO - 10.1080/09297049.2012.670215
M3 - Article
VL - 19
SP - 385
EP - 399
JO - Child Neuropsychology
JF - Child Neuropsychology
SN - 0929-7049
IS - 4
ER -