Peterson and Peterson - 2

Question 1

Background to the Peterson and Peterson Study

Answer 1

1. Lloyd and Margaret Peterson conducted was a laboratory experiment to investigate the duration of short-term memory
2. Information can be held longer in the short-term memory by rehearsing it over and over, so the only way to test the true duration to interfere with the rehearsal process
3. Peterson and Peterson (1959) - Short-term retention of individual verbal items

Question 2

Aim of the Peterson and Peterson

Answer 2

test the true duration of short-term memory

Question 3

Procedure of Peterson and Peterson

Answer 3

1. 24 students were tested individually
2. Each student was asked to repeat out loud a set of letters that they heard. The letters were 3 consonants (trigram)
3. Immediately afterwards, they were asked to say out loud a three-digit number told to them and start to count backwards in threes or fours from that number
4. When the students are signalled a red light, each student had to recall the trigram
5. Each student had to recall a trigram 8 times with time delays of 3,6,9,12,15, and 18 seconds
6. A second experiment asked participants to do the same tasks, but were given time to repeat the trigram before counting backwards

Question 4

Results of Peterson and Peterson

Answer 4

1. The longer each student had to count backwards, the less able they were to accurately recall the trigram
2. When asked to count backwards for 3 seconds, around 80% of trigrams were correctly recalled, but after 18 seconds less than 10% of trigrams were recalled
3. In the second experiment they found that this extra time increased the frequency of recall because they were able to consolidate the information a little more. However, the results showed a similar decline over time

Question 5

Conclusion of Peterson and Peterson

Answer 5

With the participants unable to rehearse the trigrams, the Petersons concluded that information held in our short-term memory fades rapidly and only 10% could be recalled after 18 seconds

Question 6

Strengths of Peterson and Peterson

Answer 6

1. They used fixed timings for participants to count backwards and eliminated noise and other factors that could have had an influence on memory so they had good control and used standardised procedures to ensure all participants experience the same process
2. Study is scientific as it can be replicated and the reliability of the findings can be checked to make sure they were not a one-off result as they use standardised procedure so it is easy to replicate
3. It has practical application such as demonstrating how interference in the form of verbal distractions can affect our ability to retain information

Question 7

Weaknesses of Peterson and Peterson

Answer 7

1. Lots of memory research tends to use nonsense trigrams for participants to remember because real words could have personal relevance for some participants but not others. Extraneous variables such as these are important to control which this study does by using trigrams however it is not how memory is used everyday so the procedures lacks mundane realism

Question 8

mundane realism

Answer 8

a realistic, everyday task