The effects of imagery rehearsal strategy and cognitive style on the learning of different levels of instructional objectives

Abstract

This study examined the effects of different imagery strategies and the cognitive style field dependence on the learning of different levels of instructional objectives. One hundred thirteen (113) college students from six (6) intact college classes participated. All students were given the Group Embedded Figures Test to determine their level of field dependence-independence. One of three treatments, mental images recreated from a previously presented visual, self-generated imagery from an audio presentation; and a control group, which received no instructions to use imagery, was randomly assigned to each intact group. The content of the lesson consisted of the Dwyer (1967) Experimental Instructional Materials. The dependent measures were five criterion tests designed by Dwyer (1967) to measure different levels of instructional objectives. Data was analyzed using a series of two-way Analysis of Variance procedures with type of imagery and cognitive style as independent variables and the five criterion tests as dependent variables.

The results of this study indicate that there was no difference in the amount of learning when imagery was used as a rehearsal strategy for four of the five dependent measures; however, on the fifth test, the Identification Test, the use of self-generated imagery was less effective as a rehearsal strategy than either the recreated imagery strategy or the control group strategy.

On four of the five dependent measures those students who were identified as field-independent demonstrated the anticipated higher level of learning when compared to the field-dependent students. However, on the fifth test, the Identification Test, field-dependent students performed as well as field-independent students. Imagery and cognitive style did not interact.