Memorization practice and academic success in Saudi undergraduate students

PurposeIn the present study, the authors examined whether academic performance [grade point average (GPA)] can be predicted by self-reported frequency of memorization and recitation, verbatim memory performance, and self-efficacy in a sample of college students from Saudi Arabia.Design/methodology/approachStudents' verse memory, word memory, experience with memorization and recitation, as well as general self-efficacy were measured. GPA was provided by the Office of the Registrar.FindingsVerbatim memory performance for individual words and verses moderately predicted GPA.Research limitations/implicationsTo be determined is the extent to which memory skills for different materials are related to memorization and recitation practice as well as encoding preferences.Practical implicationsThe findings indicate that even though in college a premium is placed on activities that transform the format of the materials to be learned, activities that replicate materials may still be helpful.Social implicationsIn Western pedagogy, memorization and recitation are considered counterproductive modes of information acquisition. The findings of this study illustrate that retention is an essential processing step upon which the complex cognitive activities that are embedded in college-level curricula rely.Originality/valueThe extant literature illustrates the benefits of exceptional memorization and recitation training. The findings suggest that academic success is positively related to what would be judged as moderate practice, thereby supporting the notion that benefits exist.

The effect of incongruency and cognitive load on short-term verbatim and gist memory in the Conjoint Recognition paradigm

The present research investigated effects of schema incongruency and cognitive load at encoding on short-term memory. Memory for items that are incongruent with an active schema is sometimes found to be more accurate than memory for schema-congruent items. A recent model predicts that this effect is especially pronounced under cognitive load. Two studies manipulated cognitive load and schema incongruency of study items. Verbatim and gist memory for the items was assessed. According to the attention-elaboration (AE) framework, an incongruency advantage is predicted for verbatim and gist memory that is expected to decrease under cognitive load. According to the Encoding Flexibility model (EFM), as cognitive load increases, verbatim memory should favor incongruent over congruent items and gist memory should be superior for congruent items. Based upon a multinomial model that dissociates verbatim and gist memory, the results provide direct evidence for a verbatim and a gist memory advantage for expectancyincongruent information, confirming AE predictions. Consistent with the EFM, the verbatim incongruency advantage was increased under moderate (but not strong) cognitive load. An integrative framework is proposed to account for the results.

Incidental verbatim memory for language

It is widely believed that explicit verbatim memory for language is virtually nonexistent except in certain circumstances, for example if participants are warned they are to receive a memory test, if the language is ‘interactive’ (emotion-laden), or if the texts are exceedingly short and memory is tested immediately. The present experiments revisit the question of verbatim memory for language and demonstrate that participants do reliably recognize and recall full sentences that they are exposed to only once at above chance rates (Experiments 1 and 3). The texts are 300 words long, non-interactive, and no advanced warning of a memory test is given. Verbatim memory is demonstrated even when lexical content and memory for gist are controlled for (Experiments 2 and 4). The most striking finding is one of incidental recall: even after a six-day delay, participants reliably reproduce sentences they have heard before when asked to describe scenes, even though they are not asked to recall what they had heard (Experiment 5).