[The observational learning in mentally retarded children: the effects of mediational sentences on paired-associate learning].

Thirty-eight mentally retarded children and 44 normal children learned a paired-associate picture list under one of four conditions. Subjects in E1 group were exposed to the model who learned the same list by means of formulating mediational sentences directly prior to learning by themselves. Subjects in E2 group were exposed to the model who learned the different list by means of formulating mediational sentences. Subjects in E3 group were exposed to the model who learned the same list without mediational sentences. control subjects learned the paired-associate list without observing the model. The results indicated that retarded and normal subjects in E1 group performed significantly higher than subjects in E2, E3, and control groups. The modeling of verbal elaboration was proved.