Grant Study Flashcards
Core Studies (Cognitive Area)
What was the aim of Grants’ study?
To investigate if performance on a memory test is improved when the environment is the same at encoding and at retrieval.
Describe the sample of Grants’ study.
- 39 participants (originally 40 but results were removed)
-17-56 years old - 17 females and 22 males
- Standard deviation 5.9
- Mean age 23.4
What is context dependent memory?
We remember better when the context is the same at encoding as retrieval
Describe how participants were recruited and sorted into conditions in Grant’s study.
- 8 experimenters randomly assigned participants to 4 conditions
- Each experimenter ran 1 participant for each condition
- Another participant was assigned by an instructor
What are the 3 stages of memory?
- Encoding
- Storage
- Retrieval
Which condition had 9 participants in Grants’ study?
Silent- Silent condition
What were the 4 conditions in Grants’ study?
- Study= Silent Test= Silent
- Study= Noisy Test= Noisy
- Study= Silent Test= Noisy
- Study= Noisy Test= Silent
Describe the procedure for Grants’ study.
- Standardised instructions read aloud to participants
- All participants read a 2-page article on psycho-immunology
- They could study it however they wanted/ as long as they wanted
- Some studied in silence, some studied with noise in headphones
- All participants wore headphones
- Reading time recorded
- All got a 2 min break after studying/ reading
-All answered short answer questions and multiple choice questions - Debrief afterwards
What was the noise in the headphones in Grants’ study?
Noise recorded from a University cafeteria.
Conversational hum, full sentences inaudible.
Why was the article on psycho-immunology used?
It was judge to be interesting and understandable.
Describe the short answer questions in Grants’ study.
- 10 questions
- Followed the order of the text
- Always done before the multiple choice questions
Describe the multiple choice questions in Grants’ study.
- 16 marks in total
- 4 possible answers for each question
- Always done after the SAQs
What were the results for the short answer questions in Grants’ study?
Silent- Silent= 6.7 marks
Silent- Noisy= 5.4 marks
Noisy- Silent= 4.6 marks
Noisy- Noisy= 6.2 marks
What were the results for the multiple choice questions in Grants’ study?
Silent- Silent= 14.3
Silent- Noisy= 12.7
Noisy- Silent= 12.7
Noisy- Noisy= 14.3
What conclusions were drawn from Grants’ study?
- Memory is improved by the environment when the context is the same at encoding and retrieval
- Students will perform better in exams if they study with minimum background noise as it is not present in actual exams
- Reading/ Studying time had little to no effect on performance
What is the IV in Grants’ study
Whether they studied and did the test in silence or noise.
What are the DVs in Grants’ study?
- Reading time in mins
- Score on the SAQs out of 10
- Score on the MCQs out of 16
What research method was used in Grants’ study?
Laboratory experiment.
What research design was used in Grants’ study?
Independent measures design.
What type of data was collected in Grants’ study?
Quantitative Interval data.
List some controls used in Grants’ study.
- Everyone wore headphones regardless of the condition
- Everyone read the same article
- Everyone had a 2 min break
- Everyone did the SAQs first and then the MCQs
