Individual Differences Flashcards
What is Processing speed (Sebastian and Hernández-Gill, (2012)?
Key Words- Digit span, advanced dementia frontal variant frontotemporal dementia, multisyllabic, phonological loop, cultural differences
Aim- Investigate development of phonological loop in children between ages of 5-17 using digit span as measure of phonological capacity.
Procedure- 570 Spanish ppts from Madrid schools who had hearing, reading, writing impairments were tested. Divided into five different age groups and average digit span was recorded for each age and age group. Individual tests involved reading increasing sequences of digits to recall in correct order, were read at rate of one digit per second and digit amount increased by one for each sequence. Digit span was recorded as maximum digit recalled in correct order without error.
Results-
* Preschool (5 years)- 3.76
* Primary school (6-8 years) 4.34
* Primary school (9-11) 5.13
* Secondary school (12-14)-5.46
* Secondary school 15-17- 5.83
Shows that digit span increases with age (Children aged 5 have rising digit span until 11 where it remains fairly steady).
Comparing this to previous research where they found that elderly ppts had significantly higher digit span compared to 5-year olds in study but not significantly different to other age groups.
Patients with advanced dementia showed similar profile (Mean digit span of 4.2) . However patients with frontal variant frontotemporal dementia had digit span significantly similar to younger age group.
Comparing elderly to dementia patients showed no significant difference, suggesting decreased digit span was consequence of ageing instead of dementia.
Consistent with Anglo-Saxon research which showed continuous increase in digit span over time in Spanish population. However Spanish population digit span was far lower than Anglo-Saxon digit span of 7, may be due to nature of Spanish language where Spanish language has multisyllabic swords (Uno, cuatro) compared to monosyllabic Anglo-Saxon numerals (one, two, three, four). Word length may mean takes longer time to rehearse and takes more space in phonological loop, resulting in lower digit span.
Differences in age were examined, sub-vocal research doesn’t appear until age of 7-8 years. There should be no difference in digit span as a result of word length effect until after this age. This was found to be true as no differences between Spanish and Anglo-Saxons were found before this age. At age 9, there’s a noticeable difference in digit span, suggesting that word length effect occurs once sub-vocalisation appears in phonological development. Unlike other research, this one speculated digit span increases in Spanish population past age 15.
Evaluate Processing speed (Sebastian and Hernández-Gill, (2012)
Evaluation
We rarely use verbal memory to memorise lists of digits in real life unless it’s phone numbers. Verbal memory holds sequences of words to comprehend language, sentences and to read. Digit span experiments may not affect everyday use of memory. Digit span tests have been reliably linked to reading ability and intelligence, which suggests that they’re good measure of verbal memory. Digits are culture-free and meaning-free way of measuring pure verbal memory however may not be the best due to cultural differences (word length)
Cultural digit span differences have been found by other researchers (Ellis and Henneley 1980) reported poorer digit span in Welsh-speaking children compared to English-speaking children because Welsh words for digits take longer to pronounce than English ones. Longer digit spans reported in Chinese due to shorter words (Stigler et al 1986). Supports findings of language and phonological loop being interrelated.
Larger sample size was tested, reliable and generalisable samples, sample helped cross-cultural comparisons. Study excluded people with hearing, reading or language impairments which diminish digit span, could’ve affected results
What is Schemas (Bartlett)?
Bartlett’s reconstructive memory theory suggests that we have relatively similar schemas but these can be influenced by schemas. Experience-based perception may affect how an object is measured, similarly the development of schema will affect information recall.
What is Autobiographical memory?
Episodic memory is individual and specific to person as its collection of their own life memories.
Palombo 2012 investigated 598 volunteer participants and conducted survey of autobiographical memory (SAM) designed to assess individual differences in naturalistic autobiographical memory. Divided it into four domains , episodic (Memory for events), semantic (Memory for facts), spatial memory and prospective memory (Imagination for future events). Questionnaire contained 102 items, scored on five-point Likert scale by ppts
Findings suggest that individuals who scored high on episodic also scored high on semantic and poor episodic also scored poor on semantic so we either have completely good or poor memory. Palombo found that men scored higher on spatial memory, consistent with other research indicating men have higher spatial memory than women.
People who self-reported depression scored low on episodic and semantic memory.
Gives useful insight into self-reported accounts of naturalistic memory that couldn’t be captured under laboratory conditions, useful insight into individual differences in autobiographical memory. However it is possible participants were inaccurate as lacked insight to judge own memory accurately.
(include how this was investigated Palombo et al., (2012)
What are the Results for Sebastian and Hernandez Gil 2012?
Results-
* Preschool (5 years)- 3.76
* Primary school (6-8 years) 4.34
* Primary school (9-11) 5.13
* Secondary school (12-14)-5.46
* Secondary school 15-17- 5.83
