Rote memorization, understanding, and transfer: an extension of Katona's card-trick experiments.

Abstract

Some of Katona''s card-trick expts. were repeated with 80 high school students assigned to 2 groups (a "memorization group" and an "understanding group." Experimentation was done individually.) More time was required to teach the problems initially to the understanding group than to the memorization group. Overnight retention was equal for both groups, although many retention errors were made even over this relatively short interval. After the 1st retention task was relearned, the retention test for the 2d task favored the understanding group. Transfer to a task requiring simple transposition, therefore logically soluble on the basis of prior experience by both groups, led to considerable transfer by both groups, but the understanding group achieved greater success than the memorization group, a result of marginal statistical significance. Transfer to 3 tasks requiring problem-solving all favored the understanding group by significant amts. A large number of errors were made by members of the understanding group. These are attributed to (a) reliance on rote memory when logical solution was possible, (b) careless errors within an understood approach, and (c) confusion due to partial understanding insufficient to mediate more difficult transfer. Failure to find an advantage in retention for the understanding group over the memorization group contradicts 1 of Katona''s generalizations. The findings on transfer confirm Katona''s generalizations about the superiority of understanding over rote memorization.