Andrade (naomi) [done] Flashcards
(30 cards)
what is the working memory model (WMM)?
When an individual does two tasks at the same time, the primary task is the main task that the person is focused on, and the other task is the secondary task
what did andrade hypothesise?
Andrade hypothesized that, even though (doodling, in her experiment) two tasks are involved and attention is divided, the P will do better on the primary task while doodling.
This is because cognitive resources are limited, & if the person is doodling, they will be less likely to daydream & stay aroused (focused on the assigned task)
what were the aims of the study
- To identify whether doodling assisted information processing, perhaps by enabling people to attend more effectively or by enhancing their memory
- whether doodling helps in attention(concentration) and memory when doing a boring task (2 pronged aim & 2 part purpose)
what was the research method and design measure used in this study?
- Lab experiment
- Independent measures design as participants were either in control group or in doodling group
what was the independent variable in the study?
- Doodle/control grouping
- Operationalised how?
what is the dependent variable in the study?
- Number of names and places recalled correctly or incorrectly
describe the sample used in the study
- Participants were 40 members of a participant panel at the Medical Research Council unit for cognitive research
- 20 participants in each group, mainly females with 2 males in control group and 3 in doodling group (1 did not doodle and was replaced)
- General population aged 18-55 years and were paid a small sum for participation
what was the sampling technique used and why was it used?
opportunity sampling as the participants were recruited just after finishing an unrelated experiment about (ways of giving directions to different locations)
- this enhanced the boredom of the task by testing people who were already thinking about going home
what were the materials used in the experiment?
- Mock telephone message recorded on audio cassette tape
- Doodling condition – A4 paper with 10 shapes per row & alternating rows of squares & circles with 4.5cm left side for writing
- Control condition – lined paper
describe the procedure of the study
- the test was done individually in a quiet and visually dull room
1. Participants listened to a boring phone call about a party
2. There were 8 attendants, 8 places, 3 who couldn’t attend and a cat
3. The speaker spoke 277 wpm, whole tape lasted 2.5mins
4. Ps told to write down names of attendees, ignore others (monitoring task 1st TEST) Also told to shade in squares & circles while listening.
5. 2nd part-unexpected task-measuring effect of doodling on the memory was implemented, After having written names of attendees, Ps were told to write down places mentioned in the tape. counterbalancing done here.
6. When tape finished, response sheets were collected and experimenter engaged Ps in conversation for 1 minute, including an apology for misleading them about the memory test.
7. Half the Ps told to recall the names of party-goers, and then the places mentioned.
8. The other half recalled the places first, followed by the names.
9. Debriefing – Ps asked if they suspected a memory test
what were the results for the monitoring tests?
the doodling group performed significantly better than the control group in monitoring performance
- the doodling group scored a mean of 7.8 out of 8 names recalled. 1 person made a false alarm, with an accuracy of 97.5%. the standard deviation of 0.4.
- the control group scored a mean of 7.1 out of 8 names recalled, 5 people made false alarms, with an accuracy of 88.8%. SD of 1.1.
(mean and standard deviation)
CONTROL
correct: 4.3 (1.3)
false alarms: 0.4 (0.5)
memory score (correct - false alarms): 4.0 (1.5)
DOODLING
correct: 5.3 (1.4)
false alarms: 0.3 (0.4)
memory score: 5.1 (1.7)
describe the telephone message
- 227 words per minute
- played at a comfortable listening volume
- recorded onto an audio cassette tape
- eight names attending the party and 3 people and a cat who could not attend
- lasted 2.5 minutes
how was monitoring performance scored?
the number of correct names minus false alarms
in general, what were the results of the study?
- Participants who performed doodling concentrated better on mock telephone messages than participants who listened without a concurrent task
- one P did not doodle and was replaced
- 3 doodlers and 4 controls suspected it was a memory test but none said they actively tried to remember information, therefore, it did not affect the results.
- the doodling condition scored a mean average of 7.8
- the control condition scored a mean of 7.1
- doodling is 29% more than the mean control group
- recall was better for doodlers than controls
- the monitored names were recalled better than the incidental places
- removing data from participants who had suspected a test did not change the pattern of results
how many participants scored the maximum 8 marks?
- 15 doodlers
- 9 controls
describe the ethical issues within the study
Participants did not give informed consent for the recall task. This may have caused
psychological distress. However, participants were debriefed and apologised to by the
researchers.
how is this study relevant to daily life?
- it would allow more complete cognitive analysis of task performance in the laboratory and in real life work and education settings.
- important in the context of depressive ruminations and worry, where mind wandering helps maintain dysphoric states
how might individual or situational reasons affect behaviour?
As doodling affected recall, this shows a situational effect on information processing. However, people do not doodle in the same way. This shows an individual difference behind doodling behaviour.
what are the results of the incidental information test (on places)?
CONTROL
correct: 2.1 (0.9)
false alarm: 0.3 (0.6)
memory score: 1.8 (1.2)
DOODLING
correct: 2.6 (1.4)
false alarm: 0.3 (0.4)
memory score: 2.4 (1.5)
why would participants have found the study boring?
- Participants have just done another experiment
- Participants were told that the tape was dull
- participants were expecting to go home
why can’t Andrade make the study naturalistic?
- to standardise the doodling even if it means a lack of ecological validity
what were the mechanisms behind the effects of doodling on concentration? elaborate
- Stabilize arousal at an optimal level so that
- People are more awake
- Reducing the high levels of autonomic arousal related to boredom (higher galvanic skin potential, skin conductance, and heart rate) - Doodling helps concentration by reducing daydreaming
- Daydreaming is linked to high arousal levels (increased activity in default cortical networks)
- Occupies central executive resources detrimental in situations when the task requires competing resources
- Message-monitoring task would have encouraged daydreaming because the demanding task was so low and they were not told about the memory test (thus, no incentive to stay focused)
how might doodling help participants focus?
helped them by:
- Processing the information deeper and staying on task longer due to less daydreaming (doodling is a less competing task)
- Add a resource load to undemanding tasks so that they can focus better (make it less dull)
- Selectively loading central executive resources to help coordinate verbal and visuospatial short-term memory
what is a limitation to this study and how may it be improved in the future?
Lack measures of daydreaming, so can’t check the mechanism of doodling reducing daydreaming
Future studies may include thought probes (real-time brain scans with electrode caps or a scanner) during telephone messages or retrospective self-reports of daydreaming in the process of listening to the audio message.
