factors affecting memory (interference) (Mcgeoch and Mcdonald) Flashcards
not named on spec but must know details
who were the researchers in the ‘interference’ study?
McGeoch and McDonald
what is the aim of the study?
to investigate the effect of a second activity on the accuracy of the first
what is the IV in the study?
type of word list (synonyms, antonyms, words unrelated to the original ones, nonsense syllables, three-digit numbers)
what is the DV in the study?
recall
what is the research method?
lab experiment
what is the experimental design?
independent groups
what is the sample in the study?
12 psychology students
what is the CV in the study?
all pp’s had to recall first list with 100% accuracy
all lists of 10 words
what were the results/findings?
most interference caused by ‘synonyms’
what is the conclusion(s)?
the more similar the second activity is, the more interference
what is the opposing evidence ‘Point’?
interference studies often involved using an artificial task to test how interference affects memory
what is the opposing evidence ‘Evidence’?
one example of such a study is McGeoch and McDonald who used word lists to test how a second memory affects an original memory
what is the opposing evidence ‘Explanation’?
using word lists to test memory only tells us about how we memorise words, however in real life we remember more than just words
what is the opposing evidence ‘Link’?
as a result, interference studies using such tasks may only tell us about how interference affects memory in specific conditions and cannot be generalised to all types of memory
what is the supporting evidence ‘Point’?
interference studies are often well controlled as they take place in a lab
