Lecture Notes on Memory and Research Methodology

Flashcards about memory and research methodology.

Conclusion of Mnemonics Experiment

Students demonstrate better retrieval of provided words when using mnemonics compared to free recall; mnemonic use resulted in 10% retrieval, while free recall resulted in 2%.

Reproducibility of Mnemonics Research

The consistency of findings with those of Nelson and Archer (1972) and Stalder (2005) indicates a high level of reproducibility in mnemonic device research.

Implications of Mnemonics for Students

Using mnemonics like acronyms can significantly improve students' ability to encode and retrieve information from long-term memory, which can enhance exam preparation.

Strength of the Experiment

Using a distractor task with 5-9 bits of information helps ensure the experiment measures long-term retention by displacing stored words from STM.

Confounding Variable: Awareness of Memory Strategy

Increased motivation and effort in the mnemonic group due to awareness of the memory strategy's effectiveness.

Confounding Variable: Experimenter Inconsistency

Inconsistencies in non-verbal cues, tone, or instruction delivery by the experimenter across conditions.

Extraneous Variable: Participant Differences

Individual differences in memory ability among participants in different conditions may influence retrieval performance.

Extraneous Variable: Language Proficiency

Differences in English language proficiency can affect spelling accuracy and retrieval performance, influencing results.

Convenience Allocation

Assigning participants to conditions based on availability and pairing choices made by research assistants.

Convenience Sampling

Using a small sample from one year level of Victorian high school students limits the generalizability of the findings.

Stratified Sampling Technique

Improve external validity by dividing Victorian high school students into different strata based on factors such as age or gender

Informed Consent

Guardians of participants under 18 must provide written consent, ensuring they are informed of procedures, risks, and rights.

Lack of Debriefing

Participants were not informed of the true purpose of the experiment after participation occurred.

Why Random Allocation is Needed

Random allocation helps ensure groups are similar and comparable, removing potential allocation bias caused by participant differences.

Strengths/Weaknesses of Between Subjects

Strengths: Less time-consuming, no order effects. Weaknesses: Participant differences can occur, and require more participants than a within-subjects design.