Research on Coding, Capacity, Duration

Question 1

Describe research on coding in the STM, include procedure, findings, conclusion

Answer 1

BADDELEY

Procedure:
Baddeley showed participants lists of words in 4 categories: acoustically similar, acoustically dissimilar, semantically similar, semantically dissimilar.
Immediately after each presentation, participants were asked to recall the lists in the CORRECT ORDER.

Findings:
More mistakes made on the acoustically similar list.

Conclusion:
STM codes information acoustically.

Question 2

Describe research on coding in the LTM, include procedure, findings, conclusion

Answer 2

Procedure:
Baddeley showed participants lists of words in 4 categories: acoustically similar, acoustically dissimilar, semantically similar, semantically dissimilar.
20 minutes after each presentation, participants were asked to recall the lists in the CORRECT ORDER.

Findings:
More mistakes made on the semantically similar list.

Conclusion:
LTM codes information semantically.

Question 3

Describe research on capacity in the STM, include procedure, findings, conclusion

Answer 3

Procedure:
Miller used the digit span technique. Participants were given a list of unrelated digits that increased by one digit every time. The participant’s digit span was measured until the point where they could no longer recall the digits in the correct sequence.

Findings:
Participants could recall 5-9 items, more could be recalled if items were ‘chunked’.

Conclusion:
Capacity of STM is limited to 5 to 9 items. Our digit span can be increased by putting several items into a meaningful chunk.

Question 4

Describe research on duration in the STM, include procedure, findings, conclusion

Answer 4

Procedure:
Conducted by Peterson and Peterson. Participants were briefly presented with a consonant trigram to remember. They were then given a three digit number and asked to count backwards from this number to prevent rehearsal. They were stopped at different intervals and asked to recall the consonant trigram.

Findings:
After 3 seconds only 80% recalled the trigram correctly. After 18 seconds fewer than 10% recalled correctly.

Conclusion:
information in the STM lasts 18 – 30 seconds, unless it is rehearsed.

Question 5

Describe research on duration in the LTM, include procedure, findings, conclusion

Answer 5

Procedure:
Bahrick tested American high school graduates aged between 17 and 74 on their memory of their former classmates. In Condition 1 they had to recall the names of classmates using a photo yearbook, in condition 2 they had to recall the names of their class with no photo cue.

Findings:
In condition one, 70% of participants recalled accurately after 48 years.
In condition two, 30% of participants recalled accurately after 48 years.

Conclusion:
Certain types of information can last potentially a lifetime, especially with the correct cues

Question 6

Discuss research on coding in the STM (2 X AO3 - STRENGTH + WEAKNESS)

Answer 6

BADDELEY

Strength - High control over extraneous variables

Weakness - Lacks mundane realism

Question 7

Discuss research on coding in the LTM (2 X AO3 - STRENGTH + WEAKNESS)

Answer 7

BADDELEY

Strength - High control over extraneous variables

Weakness - Lacks mundane realism

Question 8

Discuss research on capacity in the STM (2 X AO3 - STRENGTH + WEAKNESS)

Answer 8

MILLER

Strength - High reliability

Weakness - Lacks mundane realism

Question 9

Discuss research on duration in the STM (2 X AO3 - STRENGTH + WEAKNESS)

Answer 9

PETERSON AND PETERSON

Strength - High control over extraneous variables

Weakness - Lacks mundane realism

Question 10

Discuss research on duration in the LTM (2 X AO3 - STRENGTH + WEAKNESS)

Answer 10

BAHRICK

Strength - High in mundane realism

Weakness - Low control over extraneous variables