Examines whether black children learn a categorized list in the same way as they learn an uncategorized list and white children learn each list by a different strategy. Sixty fourth grade children, randomly selected by race and class group from a pool of 123 children, approximately one-third of whom were lower class white, lower class black, and…

Proactive interference (PI) build-up and release from PI were used to study automatic conceptual encoding of superordinate and subordinate category lists in low-socioeconomic status (SES) Black children and middle-SES White children (grades 2 and 4). (Results for each population on the three category lists are described). (GDC)

This study begins a systematic examination of the role that content of materials used in experimental free recall tasks, as well as the origin plus the appropriateness of designated "conceptual categories," play in determining mnemonic performance of different groups. It will deliberately engineer the way materials are derived and…