Andrade (doodling)

Question 1

Doodling

Answer 1

It’s to draw patterns/pictures while thinking about something else or when you’re bored

Question 2

Day dreaming

Answer 2

It’s a temporary escape from reality by forming mental pictures, usually in spontaneous episodes/other experiences

Question 3

What is the aim of the study

Answer 3

Does doodling help information processing or either enabling them to attend more effectively OR by enhancing their memory

Question 4

Hypothesis

Answer 4

Doodling helps with information processing

Question 5

Sample

Answer 5

• 40 pps
• 35f, 5m (predominantly female)
• 18-55 yrs old
• 2 males control group, 3 in doodling
• members of Medical Research Council
• paid small amount of money for taking part
• divided into 2 groups, 20 each
• pps were involved in a previous study prior to being in this one (researchers asked if they could spare 5 mins for this)

Control group = 20
Doodling group = 20
Research method = lab exp

Question 6

Materials used in study

Answer 6

• audio cassette tape
  –> monotone
  –> 227 words per min
  –> played at comfortable listening volume
• script included 8 names of people attending party
  –> 3 ppl + 1 cat can’t come
• shaded shapes of 1cm diameter on A4 paper
• pps in doodling condition used pencil
  –> 10 shapes per row
  –> alternating rows of circles + squares
• 8 place names were mentioned
• 4.5cm wide margin
• wrote on lined piece of paper

Question 7

General instructions read (to both groups)

Answer 7

• tape is going to be played
• pretend the speaker is a friend and has called to invite you to a party
• the tape is dull but doesn’t need to be memorized as not needed
• write down names of people who will definitely/probably attend party except for yourself
• ignore names of people who can’t come and don’t write anything else

Question 8

Procedure (doodling condition)

Answer 8

• paper was given and told neatness and speed didn’t matter when shading
• listened to tape (2.5 mins) and wrote names down
• when recording finished, experimenter collected sheets and talked to them for a min
• pps were asked to recall names of people who could come to the party and then name places mentioned when finished
• other half did the reverse: places –> names –> names of people attending the party
• apologized for deception (surprise memory test/counterbalancing)

Question 9

Why was a surprise memory test given?

Answer 9

If they weren’t given a surprise memory test then it would create demand characteristics because pps would start focusing/paying more attention to remember

Question 10

Primary and concurrent task

Answer 10

Primary task: monitoring telephone message
Concurrent task: doodling
(had to do both at the same time)

Question 11

IV and DV

Answer 11

IV: whether it was doodling condition or control condition

DV: memory recalled
- monetary information
- incidental (other unrelated information)

Question 12

Operational definition for DV

Answer 12

Correct answer - false alarms = final score

eg: name of person - name of person NOT going to party = final score
eg: mishearing = “Greg” for “Craig” (seen as correct answer)

Question 13

Results

Answer 13

Shading of shapes:
- range of shaded shapes = 3-110

Suspicion of memory test:
- 3 from “doodle group” and 4 from “control group” were suspicious of memory test

Question 14

Results from doodle group

Answer 14

• shading of shapes mean = 36.3
• wrote down 8 names correctly mean = 7.8
• monitoring performance = mean - 7.7, SD - 0.6
• false alarm = 1 pp
• suspected memory test = 3 pps
• memory test = 7.8
• no. pps who didn’t doodle = 1
• actively remembered = none
• overall = 7.5 (mean)
• no. of pps who scored 8 = 15
• pps in doodling condition recalled 29% MORE than control group

Question 15

Results from control group

Answer 15

• shading of shapes = none
• wrote down 8 names correctly mean = 7.1
• monitoring performance = mean - 6.9, SD - 1.3
• false alarm = 5 pps
• suspected memory test = 4
• memory test = 7.1
• no. of pps who didn’t doodle = none
• actively remembered = none
• overall = 5.8 (mean)
• no. of pp who scored 8 = 9

Question 16

Results of monitored and incidental info

Answer 16

• pps in doodling condition recalled a mean of 7.5 pieces of info (names & places)
• pps in control group recalled mean of 5.8 pieces of info (names & places)
• monitored names recalled BETTER than incidental places
• removing data from pps who were recalled better

Question 17

Quantitative data strengths & weaknesses

Answer 17

STRENGTHS:
- easy to score, compare, contrast
- objective (no interpretation required)
- data can be represented in graphical/visual form
eg: tables, graphs, etc

WEAKNESSES:
- doesn’t explain the “why” in the study

Question 18

Mechanisms

Answer 18

• doodling helps stabilize arousal at optimal
  –> keeps boredom away
• doodling reduces daydreaming
  –> keeps daydreaming away
• doodling adds concentration
• daydreaming takes away concentration
• doodling adds resources to the central executive resources (primary task)
  –> doodling vs daydreaming

Question 19

Limitations of the study

Answer 19

• daydreaming was NOT measured (thought probes could be used in the future)
• sample could’ve been larger and more varied (to generalize findings to more people)
• low ecological validity

Question 20

Strengths of the study

Answer 20

• DV operationalized (improves validity)
• reliability (study can be used repeatedly which improves replicability)
• standardized procedure
  –> pps given same audio recording
  –> doodles have same lined paper
  —> all pps went through same debriefing process

Question 21

Results: monitored and incidental

Answer 21

• monitored names recalled better than incidental names
• pps in doodling condition recalled MEAN = 7.5 pieces of info (names & places)
• pps in control condition recaled MEAN = 5.8 pieces of info (names & places)
• pps in doodling condition recalled 29% more than control group
• removing data from pps who suspected a test didn’t alter the pattern of results