LEARNING-DISABLED AND NONDISABLED CHILDRENS PERFORMANCE ON SERIAL-RECALL TASKS - THE FACILITATING EFFECT OF KNOWLEDGE

Learning disabled (LD) and nondisabled (NonLD) children's memory span was assessed using lists of items that varied both in length and famil iarity (digits, unfamiliar faces, familiar faces). Fifty boys in grade s four through six, half of whom were identified as learning disabled, participated in the experiment. Both the LD and NonLD children recall ed more items in the digit and familiar faces conditions than in the u nfamiliar faces condition, demonstrating the importance of knowledge b ase in children's serial recall. Of greater importance, however, was t he difference between the LD and NonLD children for the three types of stimuli. NonLD children showed a recall advantage compared to their L D peers for digits and unfamiliar faces, but not for familiar faces. T he results are interpreted as demonstrating the facilitating effect of knowledge on memory, particularly for learning impaired children.