Age/Order of Acquisition effects and massed versus distributed learning.

Abstract

The Age of Acquisition effect (AoA) shows that words learned earlier in life are remembered better than words acquired later. The goal of this experiment was to teach participants non-words in a specific order, to manipulate their AoA. When AoA is manipulated in an experi-mental setting, it is called Order of Acquisition (OoA). This method of using a word-training study is based on the work of Izura et al. (2011). Also, the effect of massed versus distributed practice was tested, by assigning participants to a massed or distributed group, who learned the words in one day (massed) or spread over three weeks (distributed). The main question of this thesis was if the effect of practice and OoA would show interaction, in a way that distributed practice might explain the OoA effect. Two different test methods were used: a picture naming task and a word search puzzle. A total of 38 participants took part in this study. The participants who made the WSP had significantly higher scores than participants who made the PNT. Unfor-tunately, because of this effect of method the OoA could not be statistically tested, as the sets were not counterbalances within each method. There was no effect of practice. The current results seem to show no interaction between practice and OoA, but since both effects were not significant or not testable, this remains a question for further research.