3.5 - Memory for Sentences Flashcards
(59 cards)
What did Fillenbaum want to learn in his 1966 window sentence comprehension experiment?
(2)
If subjects made similar mistakes
If certain transformations stored but not others?
What was Fillenbaum’s 1966 window sentence comprehension experiment?
Subjects given sentences such as “the window is not closed”
Subjects then asked if that had seen one of the following sentences:
“The window is closed”
“The window is not open”
“The window is open”
What did Fillenbaum find out in his 1966 window sentence comprehension experiment?
That the subjects made errors that were the closest to the meaning of the original sentence
In Sachs’ 1967 experiment, he had subjects listen to a passage about _____.
Galileo
In Sachs’ Galileo 1967 experiment, after the subjects had listened to the passage he tested them on ______.
Sentence wording and meaning
How long was the delay between the passage and the test in Sachs’ Galileo 1967 experiment?
Between 0-160 syllables
How were the sentences altered in Sachs’ Galileo 1967 experiment?
Surface change (He sent Galileo, the great Italian scientist, a letter about it.)
Semantic change (Galileo, the great Italian scientist, sent him a letter about it.)
Passive change (A letter about it was sent to Galileo, the great Italian scientist.)
No Change (He sent a letter about it to Galileo, the great Italian scientist.)
Under what conditions did the subjects perform best in Sachs’ Galileo 1967 experiment? What did this prove?
When tested immediately afterward. Performance declined after a short delay
Memory for sentences declines over time
How did subjects perform in recognizing the sentences with Surface Changes in Sachs’ Galileo 1967 experiment?
Rejected them when there was no delay
Accuracy declined the longer the delay
How did subjects perform in recognizing the sentences with Passive/Active Changes in Sachs’ Galileo 1967 experiment?
Rejected them when there was no delay
Accuracy declined the longer the delay
How did subjects perform in recognizing the sentences with Semantic Changes in Sachs’ 1967 Galileo experiment? What did this prove?
Rejected them when there was no delay
Continued to reject them even with a significant delay
Our semantic (“meaning”) memory does not decline
What did Sachs’ Galileo 1967 experiment prove?
Study shows that we store the meaning (the gist) of sentences, not the exact words
What is Elaboration?
Enriching the memory of new information by relating it to LTM
Can we elaborating by inference? How does this relate to LTM?
Yes. We make inferences when understanding events
The inferences are integrated into our LTM so later on, it’s hard for us to tell what was presented versus what was inferred
What was Johnson et al’s 1973 birdhouse experiment?
Subjects given sentences such as: “John was trying to fix the birdhouse. He was looking for the nail when his father came out to watch and help him do the work.”
Later, they were given a memory test using modified sentences: “John was using the HAMMER to fix the birdhouse when his father came out to watch him and help him do the work.”
In Johnson et al’s 1973 birdhouse experiment, how did subjects perform on the memory test?
People made memory errors based on what they had inferred
John was looking for a nail thus he must have had a hammer.
What did we learn from Johnson et al’s 1973 birdhouse experiment?
When we read/hear sentences, we make inferences based on what we know about the world.
Inferences can lead to false recognition errors. They can lead people to think that they heard or read something that was never presented.
What are Propositions?
Basic idea units
Can sentences contain one or more propositions?
Yes
How many propositions are in the following sentence?
Jane went to the house.
1
How many propositions are in the following sentence?
Jane went to the old house.
2
Jane went to the house.
The house was old.
How many propositions are in the following sentence?
Jane was late when she went to the old house.
3
Jane went to the house.
The house was old.
Jane was late.
How many propositions are in the following sentence?
Jane was late when she went to the old house in Scottsdale.
4
Jane went to house.
The house was old.
Jane was late.
The house was in Scottsdale.
Are related ideas are fused together in our memory? Can this create memory errors?
Yes
Yes
1: “You said that they were dating.”
2: “No. I said I saw them having dinner together.”
