Effect of Chunking on Short-Term Memory Retention - Assignment Example

Effect of chunking on short-term memory retention This experiment was conducted to examine the effect of chunking in memorizing things. There were two different groups of people comprising of 2 participants. One participant was instructed to read and memorize random letters while the other was taught how to use chunking to memorize letters. The scores of tests were examined and an independent sample t-test was done. It was found that people who were taught chunking were capable of recalling more letters than the people who was not taught, and t(2) = 5.00, p = .05 for a one-tailed hypothesis. Generally, chunking is helpful in short-term memory retention. INTRODUCTION A study on the effect of chunking on short-term memory retention has been made which concluded that the use of chunking can increase a person’s short term memory. De groot (1946) first introduced this information-processing mechanism with respect to problem solving. It is considered that a collection of elements that are strongly associated with one another is called as a chunk and can be classified as deliberate or automatic (Gobet et al., 2001). According to the research, chunking will help in increasing our ability to memorize things for a longer time. This study is done to find out the difference between memory-retention of people to whom chunking was taught and to whom no chunking was taught. METHOD Design The participants were selected randomly, a total of 2 people with diverse sex and ages. The participants were asked to recall letters they were shown a little while ago. The independent variable being the various letters shown to the people and the dependent variable measured was the short-term memory capacity. Participants There were total of 2 random participants aged between 20-25 years.  The both participants are literate enough to understand the seriousness of the study conducted. The consent of participants had been taken prior to the test and had been asked for any vision problems they may have. (No participant was having a vision problem) Materials A consent form (Appendix A). Instructions for participant (Appendix B). Additional instructions for the second participant (Appendix C). List of letters to be memorized (Appendix D). Procedure The Participants were guided as to the objective of the test conducted and provided with a copy of instructions. Appendix B was given to the both participants but Appendix C, that was illustrating the chunking process, was given to only one participant. The participants were given to read and memorize a scattered bunch of letters (Appendix D) for a complete one minute and then told to write down as much letters as they can remember. The test was assessed by giving one mark for every correct answer and zero for every wrong one then a t-test was performed on the results to analyze the findings. RESULTS The mean result of the test conducted is shown below in Table 1. It was discovered that the score is higher in people to whom chunking was taught than the others with the values of 15 and 10 respectively. This endorses the experimental hypothesis which that chunking principle is highly useful in enhancing short-term memory retention. In the light of the test conducted it is deduced that people who use chunking are capable of recalling more things better than people who do not use chunking to memorize things. Results of an independent sample t-test between two group of people were t(2) = 5.00, p=.05 for a one-tailed hypothesis. Based on the test conducted, there is sufficient evidence to accept the experimental hypothesis and the null hypothesis is consequently rejected. Table 1: Mean test scored by the participants Chunking taught/ Not taught Mean Score Taught 15 not taught 10 DISCUSSIONS The t-test results of the independent sample show a significant difference between the memory retention ability of people using chunking mechanism and without it. This proves the study which declares that chunking is useful in enhancing short-term memory retention. Miller (1956) showed that if people chunk together a string of letters or numbers into meaningful items, they could remember them where they could not remember twenty random items.  Miller (1956) claimed that chunking that can be applied for effective short-term memory recall. He also found that participants who were taught chunking rehearsed a series of letters or numbers with pauses that reflected that they were breaking the random letters or numbers into chunks and the recalling also occurred in the same pattern (Miller, 1956, cited in Anderson, 1995). It can be questioned that a person’s ability to make more words out of random alphabets may be dependent upon his academic or professional background. A writer or researchers have generally better vocabulary than a mathematician or a doctor. Ericsson et al (1980) conducted an experiment on enhancing short term memory extension from 7 to 79 digits through chunking however Gobet et al (2001) considered that: “The lesson to be taken away from the … perceptual chunking is a valuable element of distributional accounts in many areas, such as verbal learning, expertise, and problem solving and language acquisition. Future work is likely to see better integration between the goal-oriented and perceptual forms of chunking, leading to more comprehensive applications and cognitive theories.” In the light of above it can be said that chunking is very effective nonetheless the theory of using chunking for memory retention should be more experimented on the basis of academic and professional background of people to refine it for better use. REFERENCES Ericsson, K.A. Chase, W.G. & Faloon, S. (1980). Acquisition of a memory skill. Science. Volume 208, 1181-1182. Gobet, F. et al. (2001). Chunking mechanisms in human learning. TRENDS in Cognitive Sciences. Vol.5. No.6, 236-243. Miller, A.G. (1994). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review. Volume 101. No.2, 343-352. Appendix A CONSENT FORM ___________________________ of the Psychology Programme at SIM University will be conducting an experiment as part of his/her first year Introductory Psychology assignment. The objective of the study is to examine one’s memory capacity for letters. The test will take about 5-10 minutes. There are no anticipated risks associated with your participation in this study. Your participation is strictly voluntary and you may withdraw at any time. Your test results will be kept strictly confidential. Thank you in advance for your participation. Please feel free to clarify any doubts or queries you may have before signing the consent form. I understand the procedure described. I am 18 years of age or older, and I acknowledge that I am participating in this experiment of my own free will. I understand that I may withdraw from participating or stop participating at any time. Name: ________________________________________ Signature: ____________________________________ Date: ____________________ 1. Your gender (circle) a) Male b) Female 2. Your age in years ______ years Appendix B INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANT Please read the instructions carefully and ensure that you understand them before you start the test. If you have any questions or doubts, do seek clarification from the test administrator. 1. You will be given one minute to memorise a list of letters. 2. There will be a short memory test immediately after. 3. Try your best to remember as many letters as you can. 4. Do take your time to try to remember as many letters as you can but it is better to only write down letters which you are sure you remember than to simply guess. Appendix C ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE PARTICIPANT One way in which people can remember the letters better is to “chunk” the individual letters into a meaningful phrase. For example, if you saw the letter ‘O’, ‘E’ and ‘M’, you could chunk the letters into the single phrase ‘MOE’ instead of having to remember 3 individual letters. On the list of letters which will be presented shortly, please try to use this strategy to help you remember as many of the letters as you can. Appendix D List of Letters to be Memorized T H S R D M E C P K A O I L B Read More