TITLE: Impact of Meaningfulness of studying material on Learning PROBLEM: To study the effect of meaningfulness on learning using list of meaningful words to nonsense syllables. INTRODUCTION: Learning may be defined as "any relatively permanent change in behaviour or behavioural potential produced by experience.” 1.Continuous ys Partial Reinforcement: In continuous reinforcement the participant is given reinforcement after cach target response. This kind of schedule of reinforcement produces a high rate of responding. However, once the reinforce is withheld, response rates decrease very quickly, in the responses acquired under this schedule tend to extinguish. Since organism is getting reinforcement on each trial, the effectiveness of that reinforce is reduced. In such schedule where reinforcement is not continuous, some response are not reinforced. Hence, they are called partial or intermittent reinforcement. 2. Motivation: Motivation is a mental as well as a physiological state, which arouses an organism to act for fulfilling the current need. For example, a hungry rat is placed in a box. The animal start searching food in the box. With repeated experience of such activity, the animal learns to press the lever immediately after the animal is placed there. Another example, have you ever asked yourself why you are studying these subjects in XIth class? You are doing this to get good grades in your exams. The more motivated you are, more hard work you do for earning. These two types of motivation are called intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation. 3. Preparedness for learning: The member of different species are very different from one another in their sensory capacities and response abilities. It can be that species have biological constrains on their learning capacities. A particular kind of associative learning is easy for apes or human being but may be extremely difficult for cats and rats. It implies that one can learn only those associations for which one is genetically prepared.4. Meaningfulness: Yet another factor that contributes to the learning eff the meaningless and of the material be learned. if the material to be learnt is meaningful and relevant to the rate of learning becomes rapid. The more meaningful the material, the fewer the trials or practice session necessary to learn it. ney is HYPOTHESIS: it will take a fewer number of trials to learn meaningful words as compared to non-sense syllables Independent Variable: List A of non-sense syllables and list B of meaningful words. Dependent Variable: The number of trials required to learn each of the two lists. CONTROL: 1. Noise level was controlled. 2. Temperature label is at a comfortable level. 3. Light was adequate. 4. It was ensured that the subject was not tired or anxious. DESIG) The experiment was designed in a way that List A of non-sense syllables was first shown to the subject. Each non-sense syllable was to be expose for 10 seconds and the entire list of 15 syllables was shown in 90 seconds ie 1.5 minutes. This process was to be repeated was the same way for List B of meaningful words. Materials Required 1. List A comprising of non-sense syllables. 2. List B comprising of words. 3. Paper, pen, pencil PROCEDURE: Preliminaries Name: Qualification: Precautions 1. Optimal conditions for testing were ensured before the test begun 2. The tester should ensure that the subject is not familiar with the test.. Subject should be assured of confidentiality of test results. pport Formation Rapport was established between the subject and the tester, prior to the test so that he/she could feel comfortable and at ease. In such a state, she/he should answer the questions in a calm manner and any doubts should be cleared before starting the test. Instructio: The following instructions were given: + You will be shown two lists, list A has meaningless words and list B will have meaningful words. You will be shown each word for 10 second. After you have seen all the words from List A, then you will be given one minute to write down the words that you remember in any order, + However, the trials will continue till you are able to recall all the words correctly in one minute. Similarly, the same procedure will be followed with List B. ADMINISTRATION ‘After the instructions were given, the subject was asked the demographic details which were noted. The subject was then shown list A till she is able to recall all the words of List, no of trials taken is noted. Similarly the subject was then shown list B till she is able to recall all the words of List , no of trials taken is noted ehavioural report Observe the subject’s behaviour in every trial and note it down. Scoring Total number of trails taken to recall List A completely and List B completely is noted . LIST A LISTB NO OF TRIALS TAKEN TO RECALL RESULTS: The results were analysed on the basis on the trials required to recall words from both lists. List A-number of trials - 5 List B-number of trials-2 INTERPRETATION:After giving the instructions and ensuring that the subject had understood, the experiment was conducted. The subject was shown in list A of non-sense syllables and the trials where taken till the subject was able to recall all the words in the given time. Similarly List B of meaningful words were shown and one minute to recall them was given to the subject to write down the words. The trials were continued till the subject was able to recall all the words in one minute. Since the subject took less trials to recall the meaningful syllables, it can be easily interpreted that meaningful words help in learning. CONCLUSION: Since, the subject's number of trials to recall non-sense syllables were more than the number of trials to recall meaningful words, the hypothesis is valid. REFRENCES: 1. NCERT textbook, Psychology SAMPLE LIST OF MEANINGLESS & MEANINGFUL WORDS