title: Process training derived from a computer simulation theory.
abstract: Kotovsky and Simon (1973) identified four basic subprocesses in their computer simulation of adult and adolescent performance on Thurstone letter series completion problems. In Experiment I, children from Grades 1 to 6 were pretested on those problems, and then experimental subjects were trained on two of the four processes as an attempt to experimentally support a correspondence between the computer subroutines and human cognitive processes. A posttest administered in the experimental and control conditions revealed a significantly greater improvement for experimental subjects, although both groups made significant gains. The children's distributions of errors were consistent with Kotovsky and Simon's predictions. In Experiment II, children from Grades 3 and 5 took four series completion tests without intervening training. The additional practice was sufficient for Grade 5 subjects to make improvements similar in magnitude to those produced by training. Grade 3 subjects, however, made no gains. These results are related to Tulving and Pearlstone's (1966) distinction between the availability and the accessibility of memory traces.
authors.affiliation: University of Pittsburgh, 15260, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: T G
authors.initials: TG
authors.lastname: Holzman
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Glaser
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Pellegrino