Core Studies - Cognitive Area Flashcards
What is the cognitive area?
The cognitive area focuses on internal mental processes such as thinking, memory and attention.
What is another feature of the cognitive area?
The computer analogy - we can compare the human mind to the computer, where we input info rate via senses, store information and output information.
What is schema?
Schema are mental representations of objects or events based on previous experiences.
What is Barlett’s theory on reconstructive memory?
Barlett’s theory of reconstructive memory says that we fill in the gaps in our memory using schema, so our memory is often a reconstruction of actual events.
What is a leading question and how can this distort witnesses memories?
A leading question is a question that encourages the answer wanted. There are cases of innocent people being convicted on the basis of the eyewitness testimony that have later been released when DNA evidence proved them to be innocent. Leading questions can distort witness memory.
What is the aim of Loftus and Palmer’s study?
To see if leading questions affects participants’ speed estimates.
What was the research method and design of loftus and palmer’s study?
Research method - Laboratory experiment as IV was manipulated and DV was measured under controlled conditions.
Experimental design - independent measures as different groups.
What was the sample in Loftus and Palmer’s study?
- opportunity
- in experiment 1, 45 students were divided into 5 groups.
- in experiment 2, 150 students were divided into 3 groups.
What was the procedure of experiment 1 in Loftus and palmer?
All participants were shown the same seven film clips of different traffic accidents. They were given a questionnaire with one critical question. “How fast were the cars going when they hit each other.” One group was given this question while the other four were given verbs ‘smashed’, ‘bumped’ , ‘collided’ , ‘contacted.’
What was the IV and DV in the Loftus and Palmer study.
The IV was the verb used.
The DV was the participants’ estimate of the speed of the cars in mph.
What was the procedure of experiment 2 in Loftus and Palmer’s study?
Participants watched a one-minute film with a car crash and answered a questionnaire with a critical question “about how fast were the cars going when they.. each other?” One group was given the verb ‘hit’ the other got the verb ‘smashed’ and the third group, (control group) was not asked about the speed. One week later, all participants were asked to complete another questionnaire which contained the critical question “did you see any broken glass?” The DV was whether the answer to the question was yes or no.
What were the results to the Loftus and Palmer study?
- experiment 1, the verb ‘smashed’ produced the fastest speed estimate (40.5 mph), ‘contacted’ got the slowest (31.8 mph)
- experiment 2, more participants in the ‘smashed’ condition reported seeing broken glass.
What was the conclusion of Loftus and Palmer’s study?
The verb used in a question influences a participant’s response ie the way a question is phrased influences the answer given. Leading questions can distort memory.
What are the positive evaluative points for the Loftus and Palmer study.
- the study had a standardised procedure and good controls eg. All participants in experiment 1 watched the same 7 clips. This makes the test reliable as it is easily replicable.
- the study suggests police need to be careful when interviewing witnesses.
What are the negative evaluative points for the Loftus and Palmer study.
- the study lacks ecological validity because the participants lacked the emotional involvement of the real witness.
- Less representative as only students were used.
What is context dependent memory?
The ability to remember things better when we are in the same context as learning and recall.
What is the background to Grant et al’s study?
Grant et al wanted to look at whether context could improve memory for studied material in school.
What was the aim for Grant et al’s study?
To see whether being in the same context as learning and recall aids memory.
What was the research method, design, IV,DV of Grant et al’s study?
- laboratory experiment using an independent measures design.
There were two independent variables:
Reading Condition (Silent or Noisy)
Testing Condition (Silent or Noisy)
There were three dependent variables:
Performance on a multiple-choice test
Performance on a short answer test
What was the research method, design, IV,DV of Grant et al’s study?
- laboratory experiment using an independent measures design.
IV- the context that the information was learnt and recalled in (noisy or silent)
DV- performance of the short answer and multiple choice tests
What was the sample in Grant et al’s study?
- opportunity sampling
- 8 members of a psychology laboratory class served as the experimenters. Each experimenter recruited 5 acquaintances.
- there were 39 participants, mixed gender and a wide age range. (17-56)
What was the procedure for the grant et al’s study?
-all participants read an article with headphones on. In the silent condition, they heard nothing. In the noisy condition, they heard background noise.
- 2 minute break was incorporated to minimise recall from short term memory.
- there as a short answer test and a multiple choice test. (Recall and recognition)
- participants were tested in the noisy or silent condition with headphones on.
- the four conditions were noisy-noisy,silent-noisy, silent-silent, noisy-silent
What were the results from grant et al’s study?
-for both multi choice and short answer tests, performance was better in the matching context. (Noisy-noisy, silent-silent.)
- silent-silent mean score: 6.7
- noisy-noisy mean score: 6.2
- Silent-noisy mean score: 4.6
- noisy-silent mean score: 5.4
What were the conclusions of Grant et Al’s study?
- people will recall more if they are in the same context at recall as they were at learning.
- Studying and testing in the same environment leads to better performance.
