baddeley classic study

Question 1

aim

Answer 1

To use a lab experiment to investigate the influence of acoustic and semantic similarity of learning and sequential recall of word lists in STM and LTM.
If the semantically similar or acoustically similar words are difficult to recall, this implies that the memory store encodes information in this way.

Question 2

sample

Answer 2

72 men and women recruited from the Applied Psychology Unit Subject Panel at Cambridge University (Only 15 did acoustically similar which won’t average out any anomalies)

Question 3

procedure

Answer 3

testing STM
10 words were presented to participants on a projector for 3 seconds each (with a 2 second slide changeover time between)
There was then an interference task involving STM for six sequences of eight digits (six tasks in total). The sequences were read out at a 1 second rate and then participants were given 8 seconds to write out each sequence.
They were then given 1 minute to write out the word list in order.
This happened four times and then participants completed another interference task involving 15 minutes of copying 8 digit sequences at their own pace.
testing LTM
After the 15 mins of copying the digits down
The participants then had to recall the word list in order, which was a surprise retest (tests their LTM).
Because this was a test of the sequence, not simply remembering the words, the words were visible throughout the experiment – at learning, testing and the retest (this was a control).

Question 4

Procedure summarised?

Answer 4

10 words presented to participants on a projector for 3 seconds each (with a 2 second slide changeover time between).Six sequences of 8 digits read out at a 1 second rate; participants then given 8 seconds to write out each sequence (First interference task)First test of memory: Ps allowed 1 minute to write out the 10 word list in order.Above three tasks completed four times.Ps spent 15 minutes of copying eight digit sequences at their own pace. (Interference task 2).Ps attempted to recall the word list in order (surprise retest)

Question 5

results

Answer 5

ACOUSTIC SIMILARITY – there was a tendency for the similar list to be harder during early learning – this suggests STM encodes primarily acoustically. (Remember acoustic similarity of the word can confuse the STM)
Neither group showed any evidence of forgetting between test 4 and the retest (LTM). Therefore the words had gone into LTM.
SEMANTIC SIMILARITY – semantically similar list showed slower learning, as by trial 4 scores were significantly higher on list D (dissimilar) than list C (similar). Neither list showed any forgetting.
On the retest, performance on the semantically similar list was poorer than the control list (semantically dissimilar) – LTM encodes semantically.
Learning of word sequences was impaired by semantic similarity and in all groups, what was learned was retained for at least 15 minutes.

Question 6

conclusions

Answer 6

Participants found it harder to recall list A in the initial learning phase, which suggests that: STM is largely acoustic. This explains why acoustically similar words were harder to recall.
At the retest, list C was harder to recall (semantically similar), which suggests that LTM is largely (but not exclusively) semantic.
Baddeley said that although the study shows that in STM acoustic cues are important, whereas in LTM semantic cues may be important, the crucial difference between the two stores needs further research.

Question 7

State two findings of Baddeley 1966b

Answer 7

1) Tendency for acoustically similar lists to be harder than control lists during learning from STM
2) Baddeley found semantically similar list had poorer recall than control list on the surprise test(recalling from LTM)

Question 8

Evidence PEEC

Answer 8

Baddeley and Hitch experiment where ppts asked to do a dual task obly using VSSP and thei rperformance was impaired asked to track location of moving light while imagining F and struggled to do both at the same time + KF impared STM after motorcylce icindeint digit span of 1 suggesting impariment to phonologicla store but intact visual store

Question 9

Methodology PEEC

Answer 9

Weakness as lab experiment eg dual task experiment uses artifical tasks due to artifical nature and setting doesn’t reflect everyday life- standardised manipluate variable seeing how it impoacts DV and infer cause and effects