glanzer and cunitz

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To investigate the serial position effect with and without interference from a filler activity. Serial position effect is the tendency to recall the first and the last items on a list better than items in the middle.

Question 2

method

Answer 2

repeated measures design experiment with 46 army enlisted men.
series of 15 word list was read out to participants. they were then asked to do a free recall task.

3 conditions
free recall immediately after hearing the words on the list
a filler activity for 10 secs then free recall
same filler activity but for 30 seconds

Question 3

results

Answer 3

in the condition without a filler task, both the aspects of the serial position effect could be observed: primacy effect and recency effect

in the condition with the filler task the primacy effect stayed but the recency effect disappeared

Question 4

conclusion

Answer 4

results fit well into the msm
stm and ltm are 2 separate memory stores
information moves from stm to ltm if it is rehearsed
duration of stm is roughly 30 secs