Presentation method and the free recall performance of retarded adults

Twenty four retarded adults were given a randomly ordered list of 16 categorically related items under one of three presentation methods: auditory, visual sequential, or visual simultaneous presentation. Both visual groups recalled significantly more of the items than did the group given auditory presentation. There were no differences in the use of a categorical strategy during recall and no consistent correlations between this and the amount recalled in any of the groups. Simultaneous presentation gave rise to significantly fewer item repetitions during recall than did sequential presentation. It was concluded that these presentation variables affect only the number and not the order of items recalled.