Short-term serial tactual recall: effects of grouping on tactually probed recall of Braille letters and nonsense shapes by blind children.

The study tested the hypothesis that grouping has adverse effects on the recall of tactual shapes but facilitates the recall of tactual letters on the assumption that this depends on different processes. A further question was the relation of grouping to letter recall span (set-size). Tactually probed recall of tactually presented serial nonsense and letter shapes by blind children was tested under grouped and ungrouped conditions. Results showed a highly significant interaction between list type and grouping, and a (smaller) higher order interaction between set size list type and grouping, in the predicted directions. Grouping had adverse effects on nonsense shape recall. Letter recall was better and was facilitated by grouping, except by subjects with poor letter recall spans who were also slow at letter naming. Mental and chronological age were associated with higher scores, but unlike set size, did not relate differentially to letter grouping. It was argued that the form of coding is a factor in determining the nature of processing and in recall efficiency.