Association of Nonsense-Figures as a Function of Fittingness and Intention to Learn
Jaques W. Kaswan · The American Journal of Psychology · 1957
favorable to while poorly structured materials require a particular attitude of active organization if associations are to be formed.' The validity of this formulation was examined in the present experiment, which deals with the retention of fitting (F) and non-fitting (NF) pairs of nonsense-figures (of comparable intra-pair similarity) in intentional and incidental learning. A finding of superior recall for F over NF pairs under both conditions would be evidence for some generality and stability of fittingness as a variable of organization. Kohler's analysis further suggests that under the incidental condition, which minimizes active organization, the effect of fittingness should be relatively greater than under the intentional condition. Materials. There were 16 pairs of nonsense-figures drawn in black ink on white 4 X 6-in. cards, each figure measuring approximately 3 X 4 cm., with a space of 0.5 cm. between the members of each pair. The adjacent sides of the two members of each pair of F-figures were designed to match exactly-if brought together they would form a continuous whole. Phenomenologically, these figures appeared to be fitting. For the purposes of this study, then, fittingness is primarily a function of good continuation as described by Wertheimer.4 There were four outline and four solid pairs arranged' to form eight F and eight NF pairs. The 16 pairs of figures were divided into two series, Series A (pairs 1-8) and Series B (pairs 9-16), each consisting of four F and four NF pairs (Fig. 1). The two series are made up of identical items-the left-hand (stimulus) items are the same and the right-hand (response) items are the same. The only difference between them is in the pairing of stimulus- and response-items. Items which are F in Series A are NF in Series B, and those which are NF in Series A are F in Series B. Procedure. The Ss of the incidental group were told that the experiment was concerned with extra sensory perception (ESP). They were asked to concentrate