Cognitive Approach Case Studies

What was the aim of Bransford & Johnson's 1972 study?

To see how prior knowledge (schema) can influence comprehension and memory.

What method did Bransford & Johnson use in their study?

Participants listened to a difficult passage with half given context before and the other half with no context.

What were the results of Bransford & Johnson's study?

Those with context reported significantly better comprehension and memory of the passage.

What is a key conclusion from the Bransford & Johnson study?

Schemas can improve comprehension and memory because they relate new information to existing knowledge.

What was the aim of Peterson & Peterson's 1959 study?

To test the duration of the short-term memory store.

What was the method used by Peterson & Peterson?

Participants recalled a trigram after distraction tasks with varying intervals.

What were the results of Peterson & Peterson's study?

As the time interval increased, the ability to recall the trigram decreased.

What did Peterson & Peterson conclude regarding short-term memory?

Short-term memory has a limited duration and information can be forgotten rapidly without rehearsal.

What was the aim of Stone et al.'s 2010 study?

To see how stereotypes influence the perception of information.

What methodology was used in Stone et al.'s study?

Participants listened to a basketball game recording and rated an athlete based on their photo.

What were the results of Stone et al.'s study?

Participants rated the white athlete higher in intelligence and the Black athlete higher in athletic ability.

What conclusion can be drawn from Stone et al.'s study about stereotypes?

Stereotypes can lead to confirmation bias and reinforce existing beliefs.

What was the aim of Loftus & Palmer's 1974 study?

To see if leading questions can create false memories.

What methodology did Loftus & Palmer use?

Participants watched a car accident film and answered questions with varied wording.

What were the results of Loftus & Palmer's study?

The phrasing of questions affected memory; stronger verbs led to higher speed estimates.

What is a key conclusion from Loftus & Palmer's study?

Memory is reconstructive and can be distorted by information obtained after the event.

What was the aim of Robbins et al.'s 1996 study?

To see how interfering tasks affect working memory performance.

What methodology did Robbins et al. employ?

Chess players recreated arrangements while experiencing verbal and visual/spatial interference.

What were the results of Robbins et al.'s study?

Verbal interference significantly impaired performance more than visual/spatial interference.

What conclusion can be made from Robbins et al.'s study regarding working memory?

Verbal interference suggests different working memory systems are involved in processing visual information.

What was the aim of Kahneman & Tversky's 1974 study?

To see if people rely on intuitive thinking more than rational thinking.

What scenario was presented to participants in Kahneman & Tversky's study?

Two hospitals with different baby birth rates, where participants guessed which had more days of one gender born.

What were the results of Kahneman & Tversky's study?

Most participants answered 'about the same,' misjudging probabilities.

What conclusion can be drawn from Kahneman & Tversky's study?

Participants used intuitive system 1 thinking, leading to errors instead of rational system 2 thinking.