Cognitive Studies

Question 1

Glanzer and Cunitz (1966)

Answer 1

Aim: Focused on the recency effect

Participants: 46 army enlisted men

Method:
1. 15 word lists on a projector were shown
2. After the list was done, they were shown a hashtag or a number btwn 0-9
- If hashtag, write as many words as they could recall in any order
- If a number, count from that number until the experimenter says write
3. The experimenter would either stop them after 10 or 30 seconds
4. So the conditions were:
- immediate recall
- delayed recall (10s)
- delayed recall (30s)

Results:
1. Immediate recall showed primary and recency effect
2. Delayed recall showed reduced to no trace of the recency effect
3. When stm moves to ltm, Info decays if not rehearsed

Question 2

Baddeley and Hitch (1974)

Answer 2

Aim: If participants can use different parts of working memory simultaneously

Participants: Unknown

Method:
1. Asked to perform two tasks at the same time
- Digital span task: Repeat a list of numbers
- Verbal reasoning task: Answer true or false to various questions

Results
1. As the number of digits increased, took longer to complete verbal reasoning task

Question 3

Bartlett (1932)

Answer 3

Aim: If memory is affected be schemas and if its reconstructive

Participants: British

Method:
1. Told a Native American Legend “The War if the Ghosts”
2. Allocated into 2 conditions
- Repeated reproduction: Reproduce the study after a short amount of time and repeatedly over a period of days/weeks/months/years
- Serial reproduction: Reproduce the story to another person

Results:
1. Details were unconsciously changed to fit British cultural norms
2. Changed the order so its more familiar to their culture
3. Became shorter as they ommited info they felt weren’t important

Question 4

Cox and Griggs (1932)

Answer 4

Aim: If matching bias was less commonly used to solve the Wason Selection task when it was more personally relevant

Participants: 144 undergrad psych students from the University of Florida

Method:
1. Randomly allocated into one of 6 groups
2. Given a workbook with 3 problems and each group had a different order
3. For the following task, identify which card makes the statement true
- Abstract: If card has an A on one side, there is a 3 on the other side
- Intermediate: If the person is wearing blue, they must be 19 years old
- Memory-Cueing: If the person drinks beer, the person must be over 18 years old

Results:
1. More people solved the abstract task incorrectly and the memory cueing task correctly
2. More matching bias in other tasks if given the abstract one first
3. More rational thinking in other tasks if given memory cueing task first

Question 5

Englich and Mussweiler (2001)

Answer 5

Aim: If prosecutors proposed sentence would influence judge’s sentencing

Participants: 19 young trial judges

Method:
1. Participnts were given a case of alleged rape
2. In one condition, the prosecutor demanded a 2 month sentence and another prosecutor demanded a 24 month sentence
3. After forming an opinion they answered a questionnaire
- was the sentence too high/low/just right
- what sentence would you recommend
- certainty of the decision
- is the case realistic

Results:
1. High anchor had a higher average sentence
2. Low anchor had a lower average sentence

Question 6

Brown and Kulik (1977)

Answer 6

Aim: If significant and personally relevant events caused flasbulb memory

Participants: 40 black and white American Male participants

Method:
1. Asked a series of questions regarding the death of public figures and someone they personally knew
- Who was with you
- What were you doing
- Where were you
- How did you feel
- How important is it to your life
- How often do you talk about it

Results:
1. Recalled lots of details about day of the events
2. Detailed memories of loved ones
3. More black participants had flashbulb memories of MLK junior than white participants