The effects of input organization and rehearsal on the rhythmic short-term memory of mentally retarded and non-retarded subjects

Journal/Book: Music Therapy: The Journal of the American Association for Music Therapy. 1987; 6: Philadelphia, PA. American Association for Music Therapy P.O. Box 27177 19118 Philadelphia, PA USA. 1-19.

Abstract: This study examined the influence of input organization and rehearsal strategies on the performance of a rhythmic imitation task. Subjects were mentally retarded adults and nonretarded individuals matched for chronological and mental age. Subjects (n=6 in each group) were seen indi- vidually, selected from a screening test and trained prior to the experiment. The rhythmic imitation task contained 24 items, each composed of two four-beat phrases. Results indicated there were no differences between retarded and non- retarded groups in overall rhythmic short-term memory. All groups performed significantly better on redundant vs. non-redundant rhythmic patterns and on primacy vs. recency patterns. Significant interactions were found between groups and conditions of both input organization and rehearsal. Although the need for input organization and rehearsal did affect the memory of all subjects, it had the least effect on the CA-matched non-retarded group.

Keyword(s): rhythm, rhythmic-perception, rhythmic-patterns, short-term-memory, input, organization, rehearsal, mental-retardation, developmental, disabilities, normal.

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