Contemp (Sebastian and Hernandez 2012)

Question 1

Aim (intro)

Answer 1

-to investigate the development of the phonological loop in children between the ages of 5 and 17 years using digit span as a measure of phonological activity.
-to compare the findings to their previous research of adult aged and dementia patients.

Question 2

sample

Answer 2

570 volunteers selected from all different schools in Madrid, Spain. none had hearing impairments or any reading/writing difficulties or any cognitive difficulties.

Question 3

procedure

Answer 3

Three sequences of three digits were read out by an experimenter a a rate of one per second. ppts had to listen then recall the order. this was repeated three times with an additional digit added each time to progressively increase the length. Span was measured as the maximum length at which ppts had recalled at least 2 out of 3 series w no errors. then compared with secondary data of healthy and dementia patients.

Question 4

results

Answer 4

-children had very low digit span
-digit span is in general lower due to word length effect.
-elderly had a higher digit span than five year olds but didn’t differ much from other year groups.
-similarly with the Alzheimer patients.

Question 5

generalisability

Answer 5

-large sample from a series of different schools that represent the wider Spanish population (570 ppts)
-ethnocentric group so cannot represent other countries.
-students that never re-sat a year were used so may not be representative of lower-intelligence children.

Question 6

reliability

Answer 6

-lab experiments allowed for extraneous variables to be controlled along with a standardised procedure so can be easily replicated.
-both scientists give the study inter-rater reliability as they can both compare their answers for similar findings.

Question 7

validity

Answer 7

-valid as other researchers/ research has shown similar findings.
-high control over extraneous variables
-low mundane realism as it is unlikely the task reflects real life.

Question 8

application (conc.)

Answer 8

-helps us understand the phonological loop development in children, gives a perspective in aging psychology and neuropsychology.
-can find ways to assist children with difficulties in rehearsing info, can associate a short span with disorders such as dyslexia.