Working memory model

woeking memory model

an explanation for how short-term memory works. Working memory is another name for short-term memory – the stuff you're thinking about right now. There are two main types of working memory: visual and auditory. We can imagine how things look in our mind using visual working memory.

Craik and tulving

Hypothesis

words that have been processed at a deeper level will be better remembered than words processed at a more shallow level

Participants

24 students of both sexes were paid to participate in the experiment

Procedure

participants were informed that the experiment concerned perception and speed of reaction. each participant was tested individually. in each trial, a different word (five-letter common/concrete nouns) was exposed in a tachistoscope for 0.200 seconds. 60 different words were used. prior to the presentation of a word, the participant was asked a question about the word. three types of questions were used: "Is the word printed in capital letters?", "Does the word rhyme with XXX?", or "Would the word fit in the following sentence: 'the girl placed the XXX on the table?".
at each of the three levels of analysis, half of the questions yielded 'yes' responses and half 'no' responses. the participant responded as rapidly as possible by pressing one of two response keys. response time was recorded. after completing the 60 initial trials, the participant was given a typed list of 180 words comprising the 60 original words plus 120 distracter words. the participant was told to check all words he/she had seen in the first phase.

Results

the mean time it took participants to respond to the questions asked was longer when the correct response was 'no' as compared to when the correct answer was 'yes'. participants also needed more time to answer a 'sentence' question as compared to a 'case' or 'rhyme' question. the proportions of words recognized were substantially higher when a 'sentence' question was asked as compared to a 'case' or 'rhyme' question.

Conclusion

the deeper understanding of a word is linked to the establishment of a semantic level of processing (application of meaning)

Method

laboratory (true) experiment
IV: words which were displayed, type of sentence asked
DV: response time, recognition of words used in different scenarios

Critical thinking: methodological considerations

strengths:
- cause and effect relationship
- increased control and accuracy
- objectivity
- standardization
- internal validity
limitations:
- total control = impossible
- artificial (lacks mundane realism)
- biased results
- ethics (protection from harm)

Critical thinking: alternative explanations

the researchers did not take into account that the participants may already correlate a certain word to a vivid memory, making them more likely to remember it anyway

Critical thinking: gender considerations

the study was not gender biased as both males and females participated

Critical thinking: ethical considerations

the study was ethical because there was informed consent, the participants were not deceived, they were debriefed, their identities remained confidential, and they were protected from mental and physical harm

Critical thinking: cultural considerations

as the study took place in a WEIRD country, there is a certain extent of cultural bias. nevertheless, as the ethnic/cultural background of the participants was not revealed, it cannot be ensured whether the results are biased

Critical thinking: applications

the results are applicable to the adaptation of better study techniques

How does this study illustrate the components of the levels of processing model?

the study demonstrates the components of the levels of processing model as the results illustrate the differentiation between shallow and deep processing. this is shown as the words that were asked in a 'sentence' question elicited a higher tendency of recognition and memory. this is because there is a correlation between the formation of associations between words and their context and the ability to create a deeper understanding

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