ABSTRACT
Over the past 20 years, a rich data base regarding age-related changes in the operation of memory strategies has been amassed (see Chi, 1983; Kail & Hagen, 1977; Ornstein, 1978). This research has shown convincingly that with increases in age, children become more proficient in spontaneously generating strategies or plans for the storage and retrieval of information. Despite the wealth of information regarding age-related changes in the operation of memory strategies, however, critical issues concerning the development of such mnemonics remain largely unaddressed. For example, little is known about the factors associated with the emergence of strategies, the proceses by which these techniques are refined and “honed,” and the manner in which they come to be applied effectively in multiple task settings (see Naus & Ornstein, 1983).
