Learning is a characteristic inherent in people because survival depends on it. Children endeavor to understand their environment; therefore, learning is a quality natural to people. Children learn consciously and unconsciously except for qualities inherent in human beings such as compassion, curiosity, intelligence, and love. However, learning can enhance or inhibit these traits, for example, the environment affects intelligence and a person’s ability to love depends on past experience.
Through learning, people adapt to their environment and acquire skills necessary for survival. Learning enables people to change behavior temporarily or permanently (Cherry, 2012, para. 2). The concept of verbal learning involves the ability of an individual to memorize, understand and interpret verbal cues by repetition or observation (Wyer & Srull, 1994).
People learn how to conduct themselves through observation, and infants learn to speak by listening. In addition, they can figure out their environment observing, and through experience. Although schools play a vital role by facilitating learning, children obtain knowledge through familiarity, scrutiny and listening (O’Grady, 2012). Children hear words and understand them through by listening and repeating; this is how infants learn to talk.
Learning involves children making sense of words and cues; they can make sense of words and cues even when adults think they do not (Education.com 2012). Verbal learning plays a critical role as a testing method; verbal learning enables teachers to instruct children at the kindergarten level. When a child responds to a verbal cue, it becomes ideal to instruct that child orally, and teachers determine verbal learning as one process of instruction.
Sims (2012) states “Serial learning depicts a situation in which participants must replicate a list of words, in a designated sequence or order” (para, 4). This process of learning requires learners to memorize various items and the associated subjects. Experiments carried out to test serial learning confirms the assertion that children in early childhood education learn memorize faster with this method (Sims, 2012). This method requires a learner to memorize numbers or alphabets, and associate them to the subject. Learners memorize numbers or alphabets in the order provided; they associate the numbers to the subject, and later recall the stimuli in the order in which they memorized.
Learners studying music use this method in the initial stages to understand and memorize notes. In addition, people learning a foreign language use serial learning to memorize and understand the alphabet; once they memorize they can reproduce to make meaning in a conventional way (Willig & Stainton-Rogers, 2008). This method allows the instructor to determine the information students must memorize.
Paired associate learning refers to learning where a student pairs two unrelated items and memorize them together. In this case, a student must respond to stimulus with an appropriate response when asked (Willig & Stainton-Rogers, 2008). Teachers use this method to help children in Kindergarten to memorize alphabets by associating them to things children know. For example, in memorizing the alphabet a child who sees ‘A’ associates it with an apple or ‘C’ for car. The subject studied determines the nature of pairing that student memorize.
Free call learning involves students memorizing information without a teacher’s input. They memorize vital information; they can recall and give an appropriate response when asked. “Free Recall Free recall reflects recalling as many items as possible regardless of order” (Sims, 2012, para. 5).
Students in high school and college use this method because they can memorize significant information. Students use this method to memorize critical concepts; memorized data helps students to appreciate learning. In serial learning and paired associate learning, an instructor determines the method of learning. Free call learning enables students determine critical information to memorize data. Serial learning and Paired learning seem to work in the same way; however, they have different application. A serial and paired learning method requires serials and subjects to relate for students to form an association and memorize (Sims, 2012).
The concept of mnemonic involves a process of using key words and imagery to program and retrieve information (Sims, 2012). Students learning geography use this method to memorize names of different countries and states. In addition, students can encode information about famous people by using mnemonic learning. They can associate the subject to the place they lived or use words they can remember, even if it has no relationship with the subject. (Sims, 2012) states “The application of foreign acquisition and mediating words are essential when using keywords mnemonics” (para. 6). Imagery and key words used in this method must be common, and students should relate to them.
In conclusion, all the verbal learning processes play a role in ensuring that students encode, retrieve and understand information. Teachers have a duty of designing a verbal learning method that enables students to enjoy learning. In a learning environment, a student uses all the methods simultaneously to memorize, understand and recall information. Students must understand what they memorize; students have to internalize the concepts they learn. This paper examines serial, paired associate, free call, and mnemonics learning methods; it examines similarities and differences.
Reference List
Sims, B. (2012). Verbal Learning. Web.
Cherry, K. (2012). Psychology: Learning Study Guide. Web.
Education.com: Verbal Learning. (2012). Web.
O’Grady, W. (2005). How Children Learn Language. Cambridge: Press Syndicated of the University of Cambridge.
Willig, C., and Stainton-Rogers, W. (2008). The SAGE Handbook of Qualitative Research in Psychology. London: SAGE Publication.
Wyer, R., and Srull, T. (1994). Handbook of Social Cognition: Basic Processes. New Jersey: Erlbaum Associates, Inc.