Classic study, Baddeley 1996b, (CP)

Question 1

What was the aim of the study?

Answer 1

to investigate the influence of acoustic and semantic on learning and recall in short-term and long-term memory

Question 2

What as the procedure?

Answer 2

• lab experiment tested recall of word sequences using four 10-word lists that were acoustically and semantically similar
• there were 72 participants from Cambridge university
• each 10-word list was shown by a projector at a rate of one word every three seconds sequentially, followed by an interface task to disrupt short-term memory
• the task prented eight numbers at one second intervals and the particpants has 8 seconds to write down the numbers in order
• Participants then had to recall the word list in order in four trials
• then they had a 15 minute interference task which then they had to complete a surprise retest

Question 3

what were the findings?

Answer 3

• the recall of acoustically similar words was initially worse than dissimilar words, but this effect did not persist in long-term memory
• Participants found semantically similar words were harder to learn and recalled significantly fewer in the surprise retest

Question 4

what was the conclusion?

Answer 4

• acoustically similar words were harder to recall in short term memory, while semantically similar words were harder in long-term memory, showing the different encoding processes

Question 5

How did they test memory performance?

Answer 5

Sequential recall

Question 6

Evaluate a strengh of Baddeley’s study

Answer 6

I - A strength is that the study was scientific in that it was conducted in a controlled laboratory environment with a standardised procedure
J - For example, due to the highly controlled nature of the experiment, each participant had a word list which contained the same number of words (10) and each word was shown for 3 seconds via projector screen. Baddeley can also establish cause and effect relationship between the independent variable (semantic or acoustic word list similarity), and the dependent variable (long-term memory).
E - Therefore, the study can be regarded as replicable and the reliability of the results can be established to understand how memory encodes (e.g. LTM semantically).

Question 7

Evaluate a weakness of Baddeley’s study

Answer 7

I - A limitation of Baddeley’s study is that it lacks ecological validity (realism of the environment).
J - This is because it took place in a laboratory where individual words were shown to the participants over a projector which is an artificial situation
E - This is a problem because the participants may have changed their behaviour from real life and could have tried harder to learn the words unlike their daily use of memory. Moreover, under normal conditions we would not be expected to use rehearsal in such a contrived way, therefore it is likely to have exaggerated this semantic encoding process in LTM.

Question 8

Evaluate a another strengh of Baddeley’s study

Answer 8

I - Another strength is that Baddeley’s results can be applied to the wider world to improve long term recall of information, specifically useful in the education sector.
J - Understanding that encoding in LTM is mostly semantic is useful for students revising exams. Rather than just repeating material (rehearsal), students are better advised to think about the information to reorganise it (use mindmaps) and try to relate it to things they already know about. These strategies allow you to process the meaning of the material, which matches the form of encoding in LTM and will improve your recall of it. Also informs teachers how to ensure students will remember new content by highlighting key differences between concepts/theories taught.
E - This is a strength because it shows that Baddeley’s study has validity in terms of being applied and useful to real-life situations.