Memory Studies

Question 1

Coding-Baddeley-Method

Answer 1

He gave a different list of words to 4 group to remember;
Group 1- Acoustically Similar
Group 2- Acoustically Dissimilar
Group 3- Semantically Similar
Group 4- Semantically Dissimilar

Question 2

Coding-Baddeley-Results

Answer 2

Participants were shown the original words and were asked to recall them in the correct order. They did this immediately after hearing them. Participants tended to do worse with acoustically similar words

Question 3

Coding-Baddeley-Evaluation

Answer 3

-Artificial Stimuli-Findings have limited application

Question 4

Capacity-Jacobs-Method

Answer 4

The researcher gave the participant a set of digits and they had to recall them in the right order

Question 5

Capacity-Jacobs-Results

Answer 5

The mean digit span across all partcipants was 9.3 items

Question 6

Capacity-Jacobs-Evaluation

Answer 6

-Limited Validity-results may have been effected by confounding variables
+Results of this study has been confirmed by other research

Question 7

Capacity-Miller-Method

Answer 7

Miller noted that things come in sevens. He suggested that the capacity of the STM is 7

Question 8

Capacity-Miller-Results

Answer 8

He noted that people can recall 5 things (due to chunking)

Question 9

Capacity-Miller-Evaluation

Answer 9

-Miller may have overestimated the capacity of the STM. Future research has suggested that the capacity of the STM is 4. This suggest that the lower bond (5) is more accurate that Miller’s estimate

Question 10

Duration-Peterson and Peterson-Method

Answer 10

24 undergraduate students took part in 8 trials (tests). During each trial, the student was given a trigram to remember and was also given a 3 digit number. The student was then asked to count backwards from their 3 digit number until told to stop. On each trial, they were told to stop after a different length of time

Question 11

Duration-Peterson and Peterson-Results

Answer 11

As the amount of time the participants had to count for increased, the % of correct remembrance of their trigram decreased

Question 12

Duration-Peterson and Peterson-Evaluation

Answer 12

-Artificial Stimuli, lacks external validity

+However, we do remember meaningless numbers in our daily life, so it isn’t that irrelevant

Question 13

Duration-Bahrick-Method

Answer 13

392 participants from Ohio aged between 17 and 74 were tested. Their high school yearbooks were obtained. Recall was tested in various ways including:

• photo recognition test of 50 photos, some from their yearbook
• free recall test where they recalled all the names of their graduating class

Question 14

Duration-Bahrick-Results

Answer 14

Participants who were tested within 15 years of graduation were about 90% accurate in photo recognition. After 48 years, this figure decline to 70%. After 15 years, free recall was about 60% accurate, dropping to 30% after 48 years

Question 15

Duration-Bahrick-Evaluation

Answer 15

+High External Validity- real life memories were used
-Confounding Variables are not controls- Participants may have looked at their yearbook and rehearsed this for many years

Question 16

More than one type of STM-Shallace and Warrington-Method

Answer 16

They did a case study of a patient with amnesia known as KF.

Question 17

More than one type of STM-Shallace and Warrington-Results

Answer 17

They found that KF’s STM for digits was very poor when they were read out loud to him. His recall was much better when he read the digits himself. This could be because amnesia suffers might have another STM store for non-verbal sounds, according to further research

Question 18

Working Memory Model-Shallace and Warrington-Method

Answer 18

Case study of KF

Question 19

Working Memory Model-Shallace and Warrington-Results

Answer 19

KF had a poor STM ability for verbal information but could process visual information presented visually. Suggests that only his Phonological Loop was damaged-supports the idea of separate visual and audio stores

Question 20

Dual Task Performance-Baddeley-Method

Answer 20

The participants had to do two different tasks.

1. Two Visual tasks at the same time
2. A Visual and a Verbal task at the same time

Question 21

Dual Task Performance-Baddeley-Results

Answer 21

The participants found it difficult to do 2 visual tasks at the same time. This is because the tasks both use the same slave system, so there is some competition

Question 22

Interference-McGeoch and McDonald-Method

Answer 22

Participants had to learn a list of 10 words until they could recall them with 100% accuracy. They then learned a different list. There were 6 groups who had to learn a different type of list
1-Synonyms-same meaning as original
2-Antonyms-opposite meanings as original
3-Words unrelated to original ones 
4-Nonsense syllables
5-Three-digit numbers
6-No new list-they rested

Question 23

Interference-McGeoch and McDonald-Results

Answer 23

When the participants recalled the first list, their performance depended on the nature of the second list. The most similar material produced the worst recall.

Question 24

Interference-Baddeley and Hitch-Method

Answer 24

They asked rugby players to try to remember and recall the names of the teams they had played, week by week. Because most of the players had missed games, their “last game” may had been 2 or 3 weeks ago

Question 25

Interference-Baddeley and Hitch-Results

Answer 25

Accurate recall did not depend on how long ago the game was played. More important was the number of games that they played in the meantime. A players recall of a team from 3 weeks ago was better if they played no games since then

Question 26

Interference-Baddeley and Hitch-Evaluation

Answer 26

+Real Life Application

Question 27

Interference-McGeoch and McDonald-Evaluation

Answer 27

+ Lab Study-Valid explanation

Question 28

Context-Dependent Forgetting-Godden and Baddely-Method

Answer 28

Deep sea divers learnt a list of words either underwater or on land. They were then asked to recall these words underwater or on land. There were 4 conditions:
1-Learnt on land- Recall on Land
2-Learnt on land-Recall underwater
3-Learnt underwater-Recall on land
4-Learnt underwater-Recall underwater

Question 29

Context-Dependent Forgetting-Godden and Baddely-Results

Answer 29

Accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions. The external cues were not available, and so this led to retrieval failure

Question 30

State-Dependent-Forgetting-Carter and Cassaday-Method

Answer 30

They gave anti-histamine drugs to their partcipants. The drugs has a mild sedactive effect, which made them drowsy. This creates a different physiological state. The partcipants had to learn a list of words, and then recall them. There were 4 condtions:
1-Learn on drug-Recall on drug
2-Learn on Drug-Recall when not 
3-Learn when not on drug-Recall on drug
4-Learn when not on drug-Recall when not

Question 31

State-Dependent-Forgetting-Carter and Cassaday-Results

Answer 31

Recall was much worse in non matching conditions. Cues are absent=More forgetting

Question 32

Leading Questions-Loftus and Palmer-Method

Answer 32

They arranged for participants to watch film clips of car accidents and then gave them questions about the incident. The critical question was a leading question “About how fast were the cars going when they hit each other?”. There were 5 groups of participants, each given a different verb.
One group had “hit”, while the others had “bumped” “contacted” “collided” and “smashed”

Question 33

Leading Questions-Loftus and Palmer-Results

Answer 33

The mean estimate speed was calculated for each participant. “Contacted” had a estimate speed of 31.4MPH, while “Smashed” had an estimate speed of 40.5MPH. Suggests that leading questions can effect recall of an event

Question 34

Post-Event Discussion-Gabbert-Method

Answer 34

Gabbert studied participants in pairs. Each participant watched a video of the same crime, but filmed from a different point of view. They could only see elements of things that the other participant could not. Both participants discussed what they had seen before completing a recall test

Question 35

Post-Event-Discussion-Gabbert-Results

Answer 35

71% of the participants recalled information that they did not see in the video, but picked up in the post event discussion. The figure in the control group was 0%. Suggests people go along with others for social approval or they believe the other person is right, even if they are right.

Question 36

Leading Questions-Loftus and Palmer-Evaluation

Answer 36

+Good real life applications

• Artificial tasks- lack of pressure as it is not real
• Demand Characteristics

Question 37

Post-Event-Discussion-Gabbert-Evaluation

Answer 37

-Individual differences (Own Age bias)

Question 38

Anxiety- Negative Effect on Recall-Johnson and Scott-Method

Answer 38

They lead partcipants to think that they were going to take part in a lab experiment. While seated in the waiting room, they heard an argument in the next room.
“Low Anxiety Condition”-A man walked through the waiting area, carrying a pen and had grease on his hands
“High Anxiety Condition”- During argument, sound of glass smashing. Man walked through the waiting area with a paper knife covered in blood

Question 39

Anxiety- Negative Effect on Recall-Johnson and Scott- Results

Answer 39

The participants later picked out the man from a set of 50 photos. 49% of the low anxiety participants managed to pick out the man with the pen. Only a third of participants picked out the man with the knife. Tunnel vision theory suggests that people only focused on the weapon because it caused the anxiety

Question 40

Anxiety-Positive Effect on Recall-Yuille and Cutshall-Method

Answer 40

Conducted a study of a real life shooting in a gun shop in Vancouver. The shop owner shot a thief dead. There were 21 witnesses, 13 took part. The interviews were 4-5 months after the event, these were compared with the original police statements. Accuracy was determined by the number of details reported. They were also asked to rate how stressed they were at the time of the incident, and if they had had any emotional problems since the event

Question 41

Anxiety-Positive Effect on Recall-Yuille and Cutshall-Results

Answer 41

They were very accurate and there was little change in 5 months, but some details such as item colour and age/height/weight estimates were less accurate. The participants who reported high stress were most accurate (88% to 75%)

Question 42

Both Anxiety Studies-Evaluation

Answer 42

• Weapon focus effect may not be relevant
• Field studies can lack control
• Ethical issues

Question 43

More Important Elements of CI-Milne and Bull-Results

Answer 43

They found out that each technique of the cognitive interview, when used alone, produced more information that a standard police interview would. A combination of Report Everything and Context Reinstatement produced better recall than any of the other conditions

Question 44

Supports Effectiveness of ECI-Kohnken-Method

Answer 44

He did a meta-analysis, where he combined data from 50 studies about the ECI

Question 45

Supports Effectiveness of ECI-Kohnken-Results

Answer 45

The enhanced cognitive interview produced more correct information than a standard interview used by the police