Murdock's serial position curve study

Murdock’s study: AIM

To investigate if memory of words is affected by the number of words.

Murdock’s study: METHOD

• 103 participants tested in groups

• Participants listened to 20 word lists with 10-40 words in each.

• They then recalled them.

Murdock’s study: RESULTS

• The likelihood of recall was related to the position of the word in the list

• Higher recall for the first words - primacy effect

• Higher recall for the last words - recency effect

Murdock’s study: CONCLUSION

Serial position effect - position of word determines the likelihood of its recall. Recency is the strongest.

This supports the multi-store model of memory. The first words are well remembered because they have been rehearsed the longest and are therefore long term memories. The last words are well remembered because they are still in the short term memory.

Murdock’s study: WEAKNESS

Memory was investigated by using lists of words that only represent a small part of what we do with our memories.

There’s more aspects of our memory than just words e.g skills or events. This makes Murdock’s study artificial.

Murdock’s study: STRENGTH

Research with amnesiacs supports conclusions.

People who have amnesia and can’t store long term memories do not show a primacy effect but they do show a recency effect (Carlesimo et al.)

This confirms that primacy effect is related to long term memory.