Classic study - Baddeley 1996 Flashcards
What is the aim ?
To see whether long term memory is encoded acoustically (based on sound) or semantically (based on meaning)
What is the 3 IVs ?
- Acoustically similar / dissimilar
- Semantically similar / dissimilar
- Performance before 15m ‘forgetting’ delay & performance after
What is the DV ?
Score on recall test of 10 words in correct word order
What is the test of remembering ?
Word order not the word themselves
How many participants are there ?
72 men & women
How were the participants found ?
Volunteer sampling
Where are the participants from ?
Cambridge University Subject Panel, Applied Psychology Research Unit
How many participants are in acoustically similar group ?
15
How many participants are in acoustically dissimilar group ?
20
How many participants are in semantically similar group ?
16
How many participants are in semantically dissimilar group ?
21
What were participants presented ?
1 of 4 lists, including 10 words on slideshow presented for 4 trials
What were acoustically similar condition presented ?
Monosyllabic words that share similar word e.g man, cab, can, max
What were acoustically dissimilar condition presented ?
Monosyllabic words that don’t sound the same e.g. pit, few, cow, pen
What were the semantically similar condition presented ?
Words sharing a similar meaning e.g. great, large, big, huge
What were the semantically dissimilar condition presented ?
Words that are unconnected e.g. good, huge, hot, safe
What did participants do after each trial ?
Interference test
What did the interference test involve ?
Hearing & writing down 6 sequences of 8 digits 3 times, then recalling the words from the slideshow in order
How long were the words visible ?
3 seconds
How long did slide changeover take ?
2 seconds
How long was writing time ?
8 seconds
Where were words displayed to ensure participants concentrated on only getting the order of the words ?
On signs around the room
What happened after the 4th trial ?
15m distractor task
What did the distractor task involve ?
Self paced digit copying task
What happened after the distractor task ?
Surprise 5th trial
What did the 5th trial ensure ?
Truest test of long term recall
What were 2 results of the study ?
- Recall of acoustically similar words worse than dissimilar during initial learning stage
- Recall of semantically similar & dissimilar not significant
What does the results suggest ?
Acoustic & encoding was initially difficult, but it doesn’t affect recall of long term memory
What trial did memory of words switch to long term memory ?
4th trial
What 2 things did the study conclude ?
- More difficult to recall list 1
- Recall in study 3 impaired comparing to others
What does participants finding it more difficult to recall list 1 suggest ?
Short term memory is largely acoustic, acoustically similar words more difficult to encode
What does recall of list 3 being impaired suggest ?
Semantically similar = long term memory encodes semantically
How can the study be generalisable ?
Long term memory is universal so can be representative of all society
How can the study not be generalisable ?
Small sub groups for acoustic & semantic groups, not representative of all society
How is the study reliable ?
Standardised procedures, words visible = 3s etc., can be replicated for consistency of the results
How did Baddeley improve reliability of the study ?
Changed read aloud words (1s) in earlier experiments to slideshow (2s)
How does the study lack ecological validity ?
Lab experiment = demand characteristics, cannot find clear cause & relationship
How does the study have high internal validity ?
Control over EVs, signs = reducing risk that unfamiliar words are more difficult to recall, recalling word order, clear cause and effect
How does the study lack task validity ?
Trials 1-4, completing word list recall 4 times, artificial tasks
How does the study have high task validity ?
Surprise trial, participants didn’t expect it, true recall of long term memory, high mundane realism
How does the study lack being ethically sound ?
Participants could not give informed consent for retest trial
How can the study by applicated to society ?
Led to the development of the working memory recall
