Memory: Sperling Key Study (1960)

Question 1

Aim of Sperling (1960)

Answer 1

To investigate the capacity and duration of the sensory register

Question 2

Method of Sperling (1960) is…

Answer 2

Participants flashed 4x12 grid of letters onto a screen for 50 milliseconds. Participants then must recall as many letters as they can remember. Then asked participants to recall single rows of letters when particular tones were heard.

Question 3

Results of Sperling (1960) is…

Answer 3

When asked to remember as many as they could participants remembered approx. 4 letters. When participants asked to recall single rows of letters they recalled on average 3 items. However the items decayed rapidly.

Question 4

Conclusion of Sperling (1960)

Answer 4

Capacity = minimum 4 items. Duration between 250 - 500 milliseconds. The image of each item fades during the 50ms and the time it takes to report back recall items so therefore it could be much larger than 4 items.

Question 5

Sperling (1960) strength: high control

Answer 5

Lab experiment = high control extraneous variables. All participants had same experience. Strength because results not likely to be affected by confounding variables. High internal validity.

Question 6

Sperling (1960) limitation: low ecological validity.

Answer 6

Participants shown random letters in a laboratory and asked to recall them = not likely to reflect info presented in most real life situations. Limitation cos findings may be difficult to generalise to how sensory memory works irl. Low external validity.