Date of Award
12-1996
Degree Name
Master of Arts
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Dr. Alyce M. Dickinson
Second Advisor
Dr. Brad Huitema
Third Advisor
Dr. Alan Poling
Access Setting
Masters Thesis-Campus Only
Abstract
A between-group design was used to examine the effects of 3 different fluency levels on the retention of occupationally related material by adult learners (n=33) over 6 months. Post-training fluency and accuracy were analyzed to determine if higher initial fluency levels resulted in better retention, as would be expected if training beyond accuracy to fluency improves retention. Retention tests were administered biweekly or monthly to examine the effects of interval length on performance. Two post-tests were administered to examine the effects of fluency level on transfer of training to a different testing format. The results indicate that initial fluency levels did not influence how quickly fluency or accuracy deteriorated over time. The degree of training fluency did affect the absolute amount of material retained, however, it did not affect accuracy. There were no performance differences between the 2 week and 4 week testing interval groups. The degree of fluency did not affect post-test fluency, quality, or accuracy performance. This study is noteworthy because it suggests that training beyond accuracy to fluency may increase the amount retained by skilled learners, but may not affect either the rate of performance deterioration or subsequent accuracy.
Recommended Citation
Grindle, Angelica C., "The Effects of Fluency Level on Retention" (1996). Masters Theses. 3670.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/masters_theses/3670