Retrieval from long-term store as a function of mental age and intelligence.

Three groups of nonretarded children and adolescents and one group of mentally retarded adolescents were compared on their retrieval of words from long-term store (from 3 minutes to 3 days after list presentation). When items were uncategorized (Experiment 1), the retarded group exhibited more intertrial forgetting than did two of the nonretarded groups, but all groups were similar in reminiscence (recall of previously unrecalled words), spontaneous recovery (recall of previously recalled and subsequently forgotten words), and subjective organization of the list. When items were categorizable (Experiment 2), the results were similar except that the oldest nonretarded group organized the list better than did the retarded group. With one exception, the groups' retention rates were essentially the same after the first long-term recall trial. Results were discussed in terms of strategic/structural deficiencies.