Memory Span Experiment

Memory Span Experiment

Introduction

Memory has been a field of interest to many researchers who aim to discover and understand how it works. In 1968, Atkinson & Shiffrin proposed the multi-store model. According to this pattern, information can be found in the sensory, short-term, or long-term stores, which are the three states of memory (Al-Faris & Jasim, 2021). The multi-store model offered a persuasive explanation of how information in the sensory memory is selected and made ready for recollection. However, Alan Baddeley and Graham Hitch thought the short-term memory store was too basic and, therefore, introduced the working memory model to substitute it.

The working memory model had two constituents that each focused on a distinct type of sensory data: a visuospatial sketchpad representing the eye and an articulatory-phonological loop representing the ear. They are both directed by a single command, but they operate separately from one another. The visuospatial sketchpad processes visual data and spatial information. The articulatory-phonological loop processes sound and voices.

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Method

Participants

The study participant was a psychology student at the university. The participant reported having normal vision and had no trouble seeing numbers, letters, or words on the screen.

Equipment

A computer and LCD monitors in the psychology laboratory were used to experiment. The participants’ responses were recorded and stored in a computer that only the researcher could access.

Stimuli

The independent variables provided as stimuli to the participants were letters, words, and digits. The stimuli were either long, short, similar, or dissimilar. The variable that was dependent was the length of the list you last remembered properly.

Procedure

A list of items was displayed to the participants one at a time in random order. The participant was expected to remember the items in the order in which they were presented. If they remembered correctly, one item was added to the list. If they did not remember correctly, an item was removed from the list.

Results

Data was summarized into list lengths for the different kinds of stimuli. The length of the final list for numbers was 8.0, for letters that had a different sound 7.0, for letters that sounded similar 6.0, for short words 7.0, and for long words 4.0. The most-recalled items were the letters that sounded different and the letters that sounded similar. The least recalled items were the long words.

Summary

The results were per my expectations. The memory span for numbers, letters that sound different, and short words were expected to be seven. In the experiment performed, the memory span for numbers was 8.0, for letters that sounded different, 7.0, and for short words, 7.0. No aspect of the experiment surprised me. The instructions were easy to comprehend and follow.

Extraneous factors that would influence the results of the memory span experiment are background noise, a pattern of presentation, or the modality of presentation (Greenberg et al., 2021). The presence of background noise is likely to reduce the memory span. A quiet background would increase the memory span. If a stimulus is presented in a predictable pattern, the memory span will likely decrease. A random pattern increases the memory span. An auditory stimulus is more likely to be recalled than a visual stimulus (Funabiki & Shiwa, 2018). Time allocated for making responses can also affect the results of the memory span experiment.

References

Al-Faris, S. S., & Jasim, B. Y. (2021). Perspectives of Human Memory Models: A Critical Review. PSYCHOLOGY AND EDUCATION, 58(5), 5665-5676. https://doi.org/10.4103%2F0972-6748.328839

Funabiki, Y., & Shiwa, T. (2018). Weakness of visual working memory in autism. Autism Research, 11(9), 1245-1252. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1981

Greenberg, K., Zheng, R., Gardner, M., & Orr, M. (2021). Individual differences in visuospatial working memory capacity influence the modality effect. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(3), 735-744. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12519

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Instructions
Memory Span Experiment
Using CogLab, complete the memory span experiment and create a report on the experiment.

Memory Span Experiment

In your report, write a brief introduction explaining the theory involved in the experiment. Next, in the Methods section, describe the process that you followed to complete the experiment. Make sure to include enough information so that others can also perform the same experiment successfully.

Finally, describe the experimental results, including conditions where you performed the best and the worst. Provide a rationale explaining why the results differed in both conditions. Summarize your report, including answers to the following questions:

Were the results in accordance with your expectations? Provide a rationale to support your answer.
Did anything about the experiment surprise you? If yes, what?
What extraneous factors would influence the results of the memory span experiment?