Glanzer & Cunitz (1966)- Cognitive- Multi-store memory

Question 1

What was the aim of the Glanzer & Cunitz (1966) study?

Answer 1

To investigate the serial position effect by examining whether people have better recall for words presented at the beginning (primacy effect) and the end (recency effect) of a list.

Question 2

Primacy Effect

Answer 2

The tendency to remember the first items in a list better than those in the middle.

Question 3

Recency Effect

Answer 3

The tendency to remember the last items in a list better than those in the middle.

Question 4

Procedure

Answer 4

Participants were presented with a list of 15 words and asked to recall them immediately (free recall). Some participants were asked to recall the words after a 30-second delay, during which they performed an interference task (counting backward by threes).

Question 5

Results

Answer 5

Participants recalled more words from the beginning of the list (primacy effect) and the end of the list (recency effect). However, when there was a 30-second delay with the interference task, the recency effect was reduced, but the primacy effect remained intact.

Question 6

Strengths

Answer 6

Controlled Environment: The experiment was conducted in a highly controlled setting, allowing them to control confounding variables.

Reliability: The study was replicable, and the findings have been supported by similar research, reinforcing the reliability of the serial position effect.

High construct Validity: as they could establish a clear cause and effect because they could simple see the number of items remembered

Question 7

Limitations

Answer 7

Artificial Task: The use of a list of unrelated words in a free recall task lacks ecological validity because it doesn’t reflect real-life memory tasks.

Sample Bias: The study only involved army enlisted men meaning the results may not be generalizable to the wider population, including older adults or people with different cognitive abilities.

Ethical Concerns: Although the participants were not harmed, the use of an interference task (counting backward) may have caused stress or discomfort, potentially affecting their performance.

Question 8

Sample

Answer 8

46 army enlisted men

Question 9

Short Term Memory (STM)

Answer 9

Short-term memory is the system used to hold and process information for a brief period, usually around 20-30 seconds

Question 10

Long Term Memory (LTM)

Answer 10

Long-term memory is the system used to store information for extended periods, ranging from hours to a lifetime. Theoretically, it has an unlimited capacity.