Presented the Primary Mental Abilities Test and 30-item lists of noun pairs to a total of 160 middle- to lower-class kindergarteners and 2nd graders. Controls received no elaboration on any item, while experimental Ss received mixed lists of auditory-, visual-, and no-elaboration items. Based on relative performance on auditory or visual items, elaboration Ss were termed verbalizers or visualizers and then given a "pure list" of exclusively auditiory- or visual-elaboration items. Elaboration Ss recalled more than controls on no-elaboration items. 2nd-grade elaboration Ss recalled more than kindergarten ones; there were no grade differences for controls. On the pure list, verbalizers recalled more auditory-elaboration items, and visualizers recalled more visual-elaboration items. Kindergarten verbalizers did better on verbal meaning than kindergarten visualizers. (33 ref.)