Cognitive Practical

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To investigate how memory is affected by organisation/disorganisation of information (word lists)

Question 2

Procedure & hypothesis

Answer 2

Hypothesis is directional
Having an organised list of words you are more likely to remember more words, and if you receive a disorganised word list you are less likely to remember more words

Question 3

Design used

Answer 3

independent groups design

Question 4

Strength of experimental design

Answer 4

No practical effects
Used repeated measured design
Due to participants only taking part in the study once they will not receive a fatigues effects and won’t have had previous practice which would have made their second attempt produce better results

Question 5

Weakness of experimental design

Answer 5

Can’t control participants variables such as individual differences in memory
People who received organised lists could have a better memory and that’s the reason they do well

Question 6

Statistical test used

Answer 6

Wilcoxon ranks test

Question 7

State three reasons for using your statistical test

Answer 7

Ordinal data
independent groups design
hypothesis is directional, people will remember more words when organised

Question 8

Results

Answer 8

For a wilcoxon signed ranked test, a one tailed hypothesis, N = 10 and p<0.05, critical value is 11
Our observed value of T was 12
Since the observed value is more than the critical value, the results are not significant. Consequently, we reject the research hypothesis and accept the null hypothesis
As such, participants do not remember significantly more words from a concrete word-list than an abstract word-list except by chance

Question 9

Conclusion

Answer 9

Organisation does not impact your memory significantly meaning organisation does not affect your memory except by chance.

Question 10

Objectivity

Answer 10

Strength
Every participant received same unbiased treatment
Double-blind study
Researchers unaware of scores of people and whether they were disorganised/organised
Gathered quantitative data and used wilcoxon ranks test to analyse
Showing that results received does tell us their true scores and whether results are significant or not

Question 11

Population validity

Answer 11

Weakness
Target population = all adults and young people
Sample = 16-18 yr olds in sixth form
Surpassed GCSE’s well enough to move forward in education, majority if not all of sample considerably good memory, more than 7+- items which is the average. Less generlisable
Opportunity sampling = bias
BUT
Both genders
generalisable to both

Question 12

Construct validity

Answer 12

Strength
Did measure organisation within lists
BUT
participants could have organised the list themselves, so when we are measuring a persons disorganised list we aren’t actually measuring a disorganised list but an organised one. Measuring chunking.

Question 13

Reliable

Answer 13

Strength
Received scores directly from participants
Double blind
Timed test and used same script including debrief, furthing increasing reliability
Every test repeated would produce same results due to standardised procedures
Meaning results are reliable