The availability and effectiveness of reported mediators in associative learning: A historical review and an experimental investigation

This paper provides a historical review and empirical investigation of the availability and the effectiveness of different types of mediator in associ ative learning, as inferred from subjects' retrospective reports. Mental im agery is a preferred mediational strategy in the learning of pairs of commo n concrete nouns, and its use is associated with a high level of recall per formance. Its availability and its effectiveness are both enhanced if subje cts are given interactive imagery instructions. It is argued that retro-spe ctive mediator reports provide valid accounts of the cognitive processes th at occur at the time of learning and that play a causal role in determining the subsequent level of retention.