Psychology GCSE: Memory

Aim: to provide evidence to support the multi-store explanation of memory
Method: participants had to learn a list of words presented one at a time for 2 seconds and then recall the words in any order
Results: words at the end of the list were recalled first and words at the beginning of the list were also recalled but the middle words weren’t recalled very well at all
Conclusion: this provides evidence for separate short-term and long-term stores

government has made sure that car registration numbers never exceed 7 to allow people a chance to remember it. same with post codes.

Aim: to see if the type of question asked about words will effect the number recalled
Method: participants presented with words one at a time and asked yes or no questions about them. questions either required structural, phonetic or semantic processing. they were then given a longer list of words and asked to identify which words they had questions about previously

Results: identified 70% words that required semantic processing; 35% of phonetic processing and 15% of structural processing
Conclusion: more deeply information is processed; more likely it will be remembered

to improve study skills, instead of reading over and over again, write it in your own words as this requires semantic processing so it will be remembered better

Aim: to see if people when given something unfamiliar to remember would alter the information
Method: participants read “The War of the Ghosts” (native american legend) and later asked to recall it as accurately as possible. retelling was repeated several times during the weeks that followed

Results: participants found it difficult to remember bits concerning spirits so changed other bits so it made more sense to them. each time it was retold, they changed the story some more
Conclusion: our memory is influenced by our beliefs

1. helps explain why 2 people recalling same event might have completely different versions; they each might genuinely believe their version is accurate

2. teaches us to be careful when giving or listening to eyewitness accounts of accidents or crimes etc. witnesses might think they’re accurate but they may have altered the facts

Aim: to see if new learning interferes with previous learning
Method: participants divided into 2 groups:
Group A learnt a list of word pairs and then learnt a second list of word pairs
Group B only learnt the first list of word pairs

Results: Group B recall was more accurate than Group A
Conclusion: new learning interfered with group A ability to recall the first list (retroactive interference)

1. to develop better study skills, when revising try to avoid studying two similar subjects on the same day

2. skills learnt for one sport might interfere with developing skills for a similar sport e.g. tennis and badminton

Aim: to see if people who learn and are tested in the same environment will recall more information than those who learn and are tested in different environments
Method: deep sea divers were divided into 4 groups and given the same list of words to learn
Group 1 learn underwater recall underwater
Group 2; underwater, on shore
Group 3; on shore, on shore
Group 4; on shore, underwater

Results: groups 1 and 3 recalled 40% more words than groups 2 and 4
Conclusion: recall of information will be better if it happens in the same context that learning takes place

revise in an environment that resembles school exam room and don’t listen to music as there won’t be music in the exam

A patient suffering from epilepsy underwent an operation where two-thirds of his hippocampus was removed and since the operation he was unable to learn new information. shows the hippocampus is crucial for recording new memories

A 22-year-old patient had fallen from his motorcycle and suffered a sever concussion and although x-rays showed no skull fracture, he couldn’t recall any events 2 years prior to the accident

Loftus and Palmer
Aim: to see if asking leading questions affects the accuracy of recall
Method: participants were shown clips of car accidents. some were asked “how fast was the car going when it hit the other car?” and others were asked “how fast was the car going when it smashed the other car?”

Loftus and Palmer
Results: those who heard the word ‘smashed’ gave a higher speed estimate than those who heard the word ‘hit’
Conclusion: leading questions will affect the accuracy of recall. the word smashed made participants believe the car was going faster

police and lawyers can use this knowledge when talking to witnesses by not asking them leading questions which will increase the reliability of the witness’s testimony

Bruce and Young
Aim: to see if familiarity affects the accuracy of identifying faces
Method: psychology lecturers were caught on security cameras at the entrance to a building and participants watched this recording and were asked to identify the faces seen on the security camera tape from a series of high-quality photographs

Bruce and Young
Results: the lecturers’ students made more correct identifications than the other students and experienced police officers
Conclusion: previous familiarity helps when identifying faces

suggests that memory for faces can be unreliable in certain situations, particularly if the person is a stranger so we must have other evidence as well