Memory Past Paper

5) Inferential statistics allow the significance of findings, such as a relationship between time and recall of nonsense words, to be assessed. Determine whether to accepted or reject the null and alternative hypothesis. If the results were significant, the researchers have a high certainty that it was time that affected the recall of nonsense words, not extraneous variables such as sleep quality not due to chance. This increases the internal validityof this investigation.

6) This investigation is determining a correlation between the passage of time and recall of nonsense words. The level of data is interval because the recall of words is standardised and time is in fixed units can be represented on a scattergram. Therefore Pearsons R is the most appropriate statistical test for this study.

7) One difference is the type of information the memories store. Episodic memories include events, whereas semantic memories are general information and facts. Another difference is subjectivity. Episodic memories are tied to emotions whereas semantic memories are more objective, fact-based information.

8) The encoding specificity principle suggests that we store other important information at encoding of a memory which helps to trigger recall if present at retrieval. Retrieval failure occurs when the correct retrieval cues are not present at encoding and recall, therefore the memory cannot be accessed because the cues to trigger recall are not available. Retrieval cues can be context (external) cues like the location or state (internal) cues like emotional / physical state.

One limitation of retrieval failure is that research into context-dependant forgetting by Godden and Baddely lacks ecological validity. The two environments (on land or under the sea) are extremely different, and do not represent changes in every day environment and recall like learning in a classroom and recalling in an exam hall. This means that the findings that recall is worse when conditions are mismatched cannot be used to explain everyday forgetting.

9) Post - event discussion is when an eye witness discusses what they have seen with another witness. This can negatively effect the accuracy of an eye witness testimony due to memory conformity theory - where witnesses change their testimony to fit in with the other witnesses, or source monitoring theory - where witnesses combine information from the discussion with their own memories which distorts their memory and can result in false memories. This is visible in the eyewitness who ‘said she may have been repeating what she’d heard from other witnesses.’ These influences make the EWT unreliable, therefore the officer is correct that ‘we’re not going to be able to use her statement’.

Supporting evidence by Gabbert et al shows that post event discussion reduced the accuracy of an EWT. They found that 71% of participants who were involved in a post event discussion used information in their testimony that they had not seen but heard from others, compared to 0% of the control who had no post event discussion. This shows that post event discussion can significantly impact the reliabilty of an EWT.

However, Bodner et al challenges the effects of post event discussion. They suggest that the effects of PED can be reduced if the witnesses are made aware of the effects and that anything they have heard from others is hearsay and they must only recall from their own memory. They found that participants were more cautious about their testimony which resulted in more accurate testimonies. This shows that the effects of post event discussion may be overcome if people are made aware of the consequences.