Comparison of Verbal Performance of Normal and Learning Disabled Children as a Function of Input Organization

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to extend the work of Freston and Drew (1974) which compared the free recall performance of learning disabled children as a function of organization of material and level of difficulty. A quasi-experimental design used 30 subjects classified as learning disabled and 30 normal subjects. For the normal group both material organization and level of difficulty influenced the amount of recall; for the learning disabled group, only level of material difficulty influenced recall. These results substantiate those of Freston and Drew (1974) and lend support to the hypothesis that the learning disabled population is unable to take mnemonic advantage of externally organized material, whether learning disability is defined according to an etiological, medical model or according to an educational, behavioral model as in this study.