MCKENNA, DONNA LEE

This experiment was designed to examine the development of
organizational strategies during the course of children's recall.
First, third, and fifth grade children were asked to recall the names
of their classmates. Organization of recall was assessed with regard
to structures in the classroom (e.g., seating arrangements, reading
groups). To determine if awareness of strategy use increased over the
course of recall, some children were asked metamemory questions after
recalling only six names, others after recalling 12 names, and a third
group after recalling as many names as possible. Analyses of interitem
latency data, clustering, and metamemory responses suggest that the
highly organized retrieval in class recall is mediated by the
activation of automatic relationships and not by the use of deliberate
organizational strategies. The various associative relationships
between names lead children to switch between different modes of
organization. This process results in well structured recall, without
requiring any conscious awareness.