Psychology B: Explanation and Research of Psychological Topics (FK8E 34) BBC
Psychology B: Explanation and Research of Psychological Topics
FK8E 34
Outcome 2
Practicals for the Research Investigation
Contents
Primacy / Recency effect to test the multi-store model 3
Experiment to test the Trace Decay theory of forgetting in STM 4
Experiment to test the Levels of Processing theory of memory 6
Tyler et al Levels of Processing replication 8
Working Memory Model: The effect of word length on recall 11
Experiment to test interference theory of forgetting in LTM 12
Experiment to test displacement theory of forgetting in STM 13
Primacy / Recency effect to test the multi-store model
This experiment looks at the primacy-recency effect (Glanzer and Cunitz, 1966) which demonstrates the effects of STM and LTM, and can be used to support the multi-store model. The multi-store model predicts that the order in which we perceive information will affect whether it is remembered; and that, given a stream of incoming information, earlier information is more likely to be remembered than later information.
Stimulus materials
One large test card:
21 large cards with the following words:
house / light / book / entry / sock / trick / birdmouth / tree / spoon / cabin / banjo / horse / cake
paper / music / plate / chair / smile / prune / chimp
Procedure
Tell the participants that they will see 21 words. Each word will be displayed for 3 seconds. Ask them to try hard to memorise them all.
When the last word has been displayed, tell the participant that they have 1 minute to write down all the words they remember. They may write them down in any order.
Experiment to test the Trace Decay theory of forgetting in STM
This is a repeated measures experiment, with 10 trials.
Trace Decay theory in STM relates to the theory that information in STM will only be retained for a short duration. STM can hold information for less than 30 seconds, unless it is rehearsed. Note that this is the same as investigating the duration of STM.
In the first part of this topic, the class conducts an experiment based on the Brown-Peterson technique (using nonsense trigrams)
Stimulus materials
Prepare a set of trigram cards, on for each of the trigrams below:
(1) FGT / 5 second delay / (2) MNW / 10 second delay(3) KLD / 15 second delay / (4) PJS / 20 second delay
(5) MCD / 25 second delay / (6) SWQ / 30 second delay
(7) HVY / 35 second delay / (8) WPB / 40 second delay
(9) DJR / 45 second delay / (10) HSP / 50 second delay
Procedures
Ethics briefing· You do not have to participate
· You may withdraw at any time
· This experiment looks at one aspect of memory
· There will be no long-term effects
(1) Display a trigram card for 3 seconds.
(2) After each display, there is a delay (starting at 5 seconds and increasing by 5 seconds for each card in sequence – as indicated above).
(3) During each delay, the participants should start counting backwards from 50 in threes (to prevent rehearsal).
(4) At your signal (after each delay), ask the participants to write down the trigram.
The findings
Record on this graph how many people recalled each trigram correctly.
2018
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0
FGT / MNW / KLD / PJS / MCD / SWQ / HVY / WPB / DJR / HSP
Nonsense trigrams
If participants recall the later trigrams better than the earlier ones (longer delay), then trace decay has been demonstrated (as well as demonstrating the duration of STM).
Trace decay theory in STM relates to the theory that information in STM will be retained only for a short duration. STM can only hold information for between 15 and 30 seconds, unless it is rehearsed.
The technique used in this experiment is called the Brown-Peterson trigram technique.
Experiment to test the Levels of Processing theory of memory
This is a repeated measures laboratory experiment to test the levels of processing theory, replicating the experiment by Craik and Lockhart (1975).
Procedures
The whole group can be tested at once.
Hand out the worksheet, face down.
This experiment is in two parts.
For part 1
Participants will need a pen. Tell them there are 21 statements listed on the sheet. When you give the signal they should turn the sheet over and they have 1 minute to read the statements and to circle whether each statement is true or false. When you signal them to stop, they should turn the list face down again. At this point there should be a 30 second break, during which there should be silence.
For part 2
Participants need a blank piece of paper and a pen. Remind them that the first word in each statement on the list was inside square brackets. Give them 1 minute to write down as many of the words in square brackets as they can remember.
Reference
Craik, F. I. M. and Tulving E. (1975) ‘Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory’, Journal of Experimental Psychology, Vol. 104, pp. 268-94.
Levels of processing stimulus material
Are these statements true or false?
(1) [house] has five letters / T F(2) [green] rhymes with seen / T F
(3) [shoes] come in pairs / T F
(4) [CHAIR] is printed in capitals / T F
(5) [find] rhymes with mouse / T F
(6) [table] may be made of wood / T F
(7) [kettle] has four letters / T F
(8) [lake] rhymes with make / T F
(9) [mother] is always female / T F
(10) [knife] is spelled correctly / T F
(11) [June] rhymes with moon / T F
(12) [purple] is not a colour / T F
(13) [book] has four letters / T F
(14) [honey] sounds like money / T F
(15) [cold] is the opposite of hot / T F
(16) [BLACK] is written in capitals / T F
(17) [drum] rhymes with light / T F
(18) [fruit] can be eaten / T F
(19) [horse] has five letters / T F
(20) [box] rhymes with fox / T F
(21) [chips] go with fish / T F
Tyler et al Levels of Processing replication
This activity is related to Levels of Processing theory in memory and is based on Tyler et al (1979).
Instructions
Students have to solve a number of anagrams (below) – some easy, some not so easy!
A surprise recall task could follow later in a lesson to see if the hardest-to-solve anagrams are better recalled.
The Theory
Tyler et al found that those anagrams which were hardest to solve were best remembered because more effort was needed to solve them.
1. DOCTRO =
2. YMALFI =
3. HOTLE =
4. NARCAVA =
5. KOOSB =
6. CARTEP =
7. REET =
8. CORRIDRO =
9. PAROLENEA =
10. RANI =
11. SARSDED =
12. PENLIC =
13. YMOEN =
14. SRTRSUEO =
15. LIGTH =
16. HGLOPOYSYC =
17. DEKS =
18. ELPETEOHN =
Anagram Solutions:
1. doctor
2. family
3. hotel
4. caravan
5. books
6. carpet
7. tree
8. corridor
9. aeroplane
10. rain
11. address
12. pencil
13. money
14. trousers
15. light
16. psychology
17. desk
18. telephone
Working Memory Model: The effect of word length on recall
This comparison of recall of short words with recall of long words is based on Baddeley et al. (1975).
Instructions
This is a demonstration based on a comparison of two conditions – recall of short and long words.
1. Read the long words to participants and ask them to repeat the words out loud. Repeat using the short words. Record the number of words correctly recalled.
2. Identify a design flaw in this demonstration that might have affected the results. Hint: think about the effects of a repeated measures design and the controls that need to be in place.
3. Explain the findings of the demonstration in the context of the working memory model, especially the phonological loop.
link / opportunitywin / platinum
add / livelihood
cup / overestimate
list / regiment
knot / government
spade / horizon
watch / timetable
rule / elephant
slim / cathedral
Note:
Participants should be able to recall more short words than long words, after the list has been read to them. The time-based limitation of the phonological loop makes it harder to recall as many long words as short words as fewer long words fit into the processing time available.
The lack of counterbalancing in the presentation of the material could produce an order effect, which may be boredom or practice, affecting performance and this could impinge on the results.
Experiment to test interference theory of forgetting in LTM
This is an independent groups experiment to test the interference theory of forgetting in LTM.
Prepare three word lists on separate sheets. Photocopy enough for each individual to have a copy of each list.
Allocate class members randomly to three groups. (If you have a small class, it may be best to use two groups, leaving out the control group.)
Group 1 (proactive interference)
Spend 2 minutes learning word list A, and then 2 minutes learning word list B.
Group 2 (control group)
Spend 2 minutes learning word list C, and then 2 minutes learning word list B.
Group 3 (retroactive interference)
Spend 2 minutes learning word list B, and then 2 minutes learning word list A.
Word list A / Word list B / Word list CCat – tree
Candle – whale
Book – fork
Plant – tank
Water – market
Track – lemon
Dish – cane
Flask – picture
Cigar – jelly
Animal – nurse / Cat – stone
Candle – cloth
Book – jail
Plant – claw
Water – gold
Track – kettle
Dish – swamp
Flask – mast
Cigar – nail
Animal - pencil / Locker – angle
Gun – pepper
Poster – thorn
Actor – sister
Blister – mantle
Fire – vest
Hill – pepper
Angle – thorn
Ink – sister
Piano - mantle
Recall
Read out the first word of each pair on word list B (cat, candle, book, etc.) and ask participants to recall the second words of each pair on list B. They should write down their answers.
Experiment to test displacement theory of forgetting in STM
This is an independent groups design laboratory experiment.
If, as proposed, STM has limited capacity when the system is full, the oldest material should be displaced by incoming material. Waugh and Norman (1965) designed an experiment to test this theory. This is known as the serial probe experiment.
Stimulus materials
You will need to prepare two sets of number cards.
Condition 1: 16 cards, each displaying a single number
15 / 7 / 12 / 9 / 14 / 2 / 3 / 81 / 10 / 6 / 11 / 16 / 5 / 13 / 4
Condition 2: 4 cards, each displaying 4 numbers
15 7 12 9 / 14 2 3 81 10 6 11 / 16 5 13 4
(Make sure that the 16 numbers are the same in both sets.)
In addition, you need two sets of probe cards:
Probe 1 (early) displays the number 7
Probe 2 (recent) displays the number 5
Procedures
Ethics briefing· You do not have to participate
· You may withdraw at any time
· This experiment looks at one aspect of memory
· There will be no long term effects
Allocate students randomly to condition 1 or condition 2.
Procedure for condition 1 (one number per second)
Display each of the number cards for 1 second – the students attempt to memorise the 16 numbers. When the last card has been displayed, show probe card 1 and ask students to write down the number that followed the probe number during the display. Then show probe card 2 and ask students to write down the number that followed that probe.
The findings
For each participant, place a tick in the correct column to show whether the number following the probe was correctly or incorrectly recalled.
Serial Position / Correctly recalled / Incorrectly recalledCondition 1
(one number per second) / Early probe
(14 numbers after probe)
Late probe
(2 numbers after probe)
Condition 2
(four numbers per second) / Early probe
(14 numbers after probe)
Late probe
(2 numbers after probe)
According to displacement theory, if the probe is one of the first numbers to be displayed, the probability of remembering the number that followed is small, because later numbers have pushed the early ones out. If the probe is one of the last numbers to be displayed, the probability of remembering the number that followed is high, since the most recent numbers are still stored in STM.
© Banff and Buchan College 13 Date of Production/Revision 2/16/2012
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