Memory Span Lab

Data:

Lab Questions

●        How does the pattern of your individual data relate to the pattern of results predicted?

Researchers predict that the memory span will be highest for digits, slightly lower for letters, and lower still for words (Goldstein, 2019). The reason for the highest span being those with digits is likely linked to our experience in memorizing things like telephone numbers (Goldstein, 2019). For my personal results, I had an equal memory span for both digits and letters, but my memory span was cut in half for words.

●        Why are some stimuli easier to remember than others? What trick did you use to perform better in this lab?

Some stimuli are easier to remember than others based on complexity. Fewer items can be held in short term memory when they begin to hold more information (Goldstein, 2019). Words are therefore harder to remember because they contain far more information than digits or even letters do. I used a form of chunking to perform better in this lab. Chunking allows us to combine small units into larger, more meaningful units (Goldstein, 2019). With the letters, I recited the first word that popped into my head that begins with each letter, creating a very nonsensical sentence, but easily recalling it when it came time to recite. This was strange for me because I used the same technique with words, trying to create larger sentences with strings of words, but was unable to remember as well as I could when I made up the words for the letters. I now believe this was due to the aforementioned complexity issue.

Irrelevant Speech Effect Lab

Data:

Lab Questions

●        How does the pattern of your individual data relate to the pattern of results predicted?

Researchers predict that more letters will be recalled in quiet conditions than in conditions with irrelevant speech (Goldstein, 2019). My results were actually the opposite. I remembered more letters with irrelevant speech than I did with quiet conditions.

●        Were you able to understand what was being said in the irrelevant speech? Do you think it matters or not to the effect? How does this effect apply to daily-life situations?

I was not able to understand the contents of the irrelevant speech. I do not know if results would be different if I could understand the speech, but I think I’m very conditioned to drown out noise while I focus; so, I don’t think the contents of the speech would make a huge difference, for me. I always work better if there are things going around me because it forces me to tunnel vision on my assigned task. If I’m not actively tuning something out, my mind wanders and my focus dissipates. For this reason, I often turn on the tv to play in the background while I work on school or go to a busy coffee shop where I can actively tune out conversations while I study.

Lab Questions

●        How does the pattern of your individual data relate to the pattern of results predicted?

Researchers predict that response times will be slower as the amount of rotation increases because we are mentally rotating an image in our mind, and it will take longer to rotate it farther (Goldstein, 2019). When the objects were the same, it took me longer to respond as the rotation increased, until the rotation was greatest at 120- then it took me less time. I believe this is because it was closer to full rotation, so I was able to mentally flip it instead of mentally rotate it. For the objects that were different, my response times were all over the place. I feel this can be attributed to the fact that rotating it only sometimes helped me determine differences and it was more difficult to tell when objects were different than it was to see that they’re the same.

●        How important do you think this capacity is for daily life? What profession or field of work do you think benefits from training in mental rotation?

Mental rotation is used in a variety of daily functions. One example is following directions either on a map or verbally given. Picturing the roads and turns in our mind allows us to navigate effectively. One profession that benefits greatly from training in mental rotation is architecture. When planning a building, it’s important to mentally see various angles of a building as you make a blueprint. By using mental rotation, you can see the efficacy of your building plan before putting your ideas on paper.

Module Question

●        These labs have shown the true capacity in terms of duration and number of items of our short-term/working memory. They also show the top-down and effortful quality of this memory. Seeing how your mind is capable of transforming and processing information to a certain extent, how would you apply the findings collected here to help someone memorize better?

Understanding that short term memory is a huge part of the process in long term memory can allow us insights into better memory function. Using techniques like reciting and chunking can allow us to recall certain items better. Understanding how distractions may impede memory functions can allow us to work on eliminating distractions to assist our short-term memory functions. Showing others the capacity and limits for short term memory would help them greatly in learning how to use theirs more effectively. 

References

Goldstein, E. B. (2019). Cognitive Psychology (5th ed.) Cengage. https://www.cengage.com/