Baddeley (1966) Flashcards
Aim
To investigate the if LTM is encoded acoustically or semantically based on word similarity learning
Sample
75 volunteers (mainly students)
Given hearing test before procedure
independent groups design
15 in each condition acoustic and semantic
Procedure
4 groups learning 10 words
Played out loud on tape and shown on screen
One word every 3 secs
List A = acoustically similar
List B = acoustically dissimilar
List C = semantically similar
List D = semantically dissimilar
Gave them 40 secs to write down words in order
Spent 20 mins doing unrelated task, and recall again
Dependent variable
Number of words recalled in correct order
Findings
STM -> encoded acoustically
Acoustically similar harder to recall than acoustically dissimilar
LTM -> encoded semantically
No significant difference
Less recalled overall
Conclusion
Acoustically similar list showed no forgetting in LTM
Encoding in LTM is acoustic
Procedure used in experiment not true test of LTM so carried out two experiments later on to clarify encoding of LTM is semantic
Strength
Acoustically similar and semantically similar lists were matched in how common they are
Results not due to being unfamiliar
Avoids confounding variables that could lower internal validity so relationship between cause and effect between IV and DV is much clearer
CA
Procedure did not rule out STM as an influence of recall on LTM
Participants could still rehearse between learning trials
Weakness
Artificial
In his repeated experiments, made them more realistic and semantic coding of LTM was obvious
Study exaggerated role of semantic encoding in LTM
Application
Students revising for exams should use strategies to allow them to process meaning of material
Should not repeat material
Better to think about information and reorganise it
Try to relate it to things they already know
Reliability
-Replicated study 3 times improving procedures each time
-Used sample list of words each trial, tested in same way => standardised procedures
Generalisability
+Large sample of 72, anomilies would have been averaged out
-Many different conditions, each group only had 15-20 people so an anomaly could have made a difference
-Only British volunteers, unlikely this would have made a difference to how their LTM works compared to other cultures
-Volunteer sample -> not representative, may have just had particularly good memories who enjoy doing memory tests
Validity
+Internal validity = got pts to recall word order not just words, reduced risk that some words hard to recall because they were unfamiliar
-Ecological = recalling lists is artificial, doesnt resemble real world use of memory
BUT this was improved in later studies
