Sebastian and Hernandez-gil

Question 1

What’s the aim of the study?

Answer 1

To investigate the development of the phonological loop within children aged 5-17 using digit span as a measure of phonological capacity

Question 2

How many participants were in the study?

Answer 2

570 participants

Question 3

Where were the participants recruited from?

Answer 3

Madrid schools

Question 4

How many age groups were participants divided into?

Answer 4

5

Question 5

What was the procedure?

Answer 5

• Participants read increasing sequences of digit sequences to recall in the correct order
• Digits read out at 1 per second
• Digit span was recorded as maximum digits recalled in the correct order without error

Question 6

RESULT - What age does digit span slow down?

Answer 6

Age 9

Question 7

RESULT - What ages does digit span remain fairly stable at?

Answer 7

15-17

Question 8

Describe the trend of results?

Answer 8

As age increases, digit span increases

Question 9

What were the comparison of findings in terms of sub-vocal rehearsal ?

Answer 9

• No difference in digit span until age 8 as sub-vocal rehearsal doesn’t appear until around this age

Question 10

What were the comparison of findings between Spanish and Anglo-Saxon population?

Answer 10

• Capacity of digit span was far lower in Spanish population compared to the digit span of 7 in Anglo-Saxon population

Question 11

What were the comparison of findings with Dementia patients?

Answer 11

• They had a similar profile

- Mean digit span of 4.2 (similar to primary school children aged 6-8)

Question 12

What explains why Spanish population have a lower digit span?

Answer 12

Word length effect means it takes more time to rehearse Spanish words which takes up more space in the phonological loop due to them being polysyllabic

Question 13

What are the conclusions of the study?

Answer 13

• Digit span increases with age
• Digit span in Spanish population is shorter than Anglo-Saxon culture which may be due to word length being associated with digits
• Poor digit span is related more with age than dementia

Question 14

Why does the sample lack generalisability?

Answer 14

• Ethnocentric sample from Madrid creates a cultural bias (etic) where results cannot be generalised to other cultures
• Not generalisable to adults

Question 15

How does the sample increase generalisability?

Answer 15

• Large sample of 570 children so generalisable to target population

Question 16

How is reliability increased?

Answer 16

• Standardised procedures (e.g., 1 word per second) that every participant experienced, therefore allows the study to be replicated in the future

Question 17

How is validity increased?

Answer 17

• Due to being set in a natural setting of a school, natural abilities to rehearse are more likely to be shown which enhances ecological validity
• High internal validity due to controls being used (e.g., same time of day)

Question 18

How can the results of the study be applied to real-life and society?

Answer 18

• Aids primary schools in the way children are educated
• Helps find ways to assist children with difficulties associated with rehearsal
• Helps understand the development of phonological loop in children

Question 19

How is validity decreased?

Answer 19

• Lacks mundane realism as findings may not reflect how memory works in real life
• Lacks validity as an artificial task was done by participants that they aren’t usually expected to do usually
• Experiment took place in a school environment so therefore extraneous variables e.g., noise of the setting may have affected the students ability to recall

Question 20

What are 2 ways in which the experiment followed ethical guidelines?

Answer 20

• Participants had the right to withdraw

- Parents gave presumptive consent for children to take part HOWEVER, fully informed consent not given by children