Cognitive Psychology - Contemporary Study

Question 1

What did Sebastian and Hernandez - Gil study in their 2012 study?

Answer 1

Developmental pattern of digit span.

Question 2

What was the aim of their study?

Answer 2

To investigate the development of the phonological loop through digit span - in Spanish children, Anglo-saxon children and Anglo-Saxon elderly/dementia.

Question 3

What was the procedure of the study?

Answer 3

Field experiment, Spanish children (5-17 years) recalled increasing digit sequences, and compared with other groups.

Question 4

What were the findings of the study?

Answer 4

Digit span increased with age.
Healthy elderly people and those with dementia different from 5/6 year olds; people with fvFTD were the same as 5/6 year olds.

Question 5

What were the conclusions of the study?

Answer 5

Spanish digit span lower than Anglo-Saxon due to the word length effect. Loop capacity affected by age not dementia.

Question 6

Evaluate the Digit span study. (control variables)

Answer 6

Standardised procedure (e.g. same rate of digits). Controls confounding variables an increases internal validity.

However, the study lacked some control e.g. the children were not tested for cognitive impairments which would affect digit span performance.

Question 7

Evaluate the digit span study (Small sample size)

Answer 7

fvFTD 9 participants - Type 1 error more likely with few participants. Low statistical power leads to uncertain conclusions.

Question 8

Evaluate the digit span study (Applications to understanding cognitive abilities)

Answer 8

Longer digit span linked with higher intelligence/ better reading, shorter digit span may explain dyslexia.

Question 9

Evaluate the digit span study (issues and debates)

Answer 9

Cultural issues involved because digit span differences in study not due to culture but to structure of languages, (Chan and Elliott 2011) thus culture similarities.