A1f3 Carmichael Et Al (1932): Do Words Affect Recall?

Question 1

Carmichael et al (1932)

Answer 1

The method was an independent measures laboratory experiment where 95 participants were split into 3 groups. They were shown 12 pictures and between each picture the experimenter said: ‘ the next figure resembles…’ Followed by a word from list 1 or 2. A control group heard no labels. The participants then drew the pictures they had seen. These were compared to the originals

Question 2

Findings of Carmichael et al (1932)

Answer 2

The drawings produced by people in group 2 were very different from the ones in group 1, in each case the drawing looked like the words the participants had heard. This shows memory for pictures is reconstructed, the verbal context in which drawings are learned affects recall because the memory of the word alters the way the picture is represented

Question 3

Strengths of Carmichael et al (1932)

Answer 3

1) a control group was used- this made sure peoples drawings weren’t always distorted in one way
2) two lists were used- this showed clearly that the verbal labels affected peoples’ drawings
3) many participants and many pictures- made sure findings were true and not a fluke
4) findings supported by recent evidence that verbal labels affect memory (Lupyan 2008)

Question 4

Weaknesses of Carmichael et al (1932)

Answer 4

1) not many ambiguous figures are seen in real life, therefore the study wasn’t very valid
2) Prentice (1954) tested the effect of verbal labels on recognition rather than recall. The results showed that verbal labels didn’t affect recognition, this means that Carmichael et al’s findings didn’t apply very widely

Question 5

Reconstructive memory

Answer 5

Recalled material is not just a ‘copy’ of what we see or hear. Information is stored and when it is remembered it is ‘rebuilt’, so can be affected by extra information and by ideas (like schemes) we might already have