The Influence of Word Type on Percentage Recognition - Research Paper Example

? Investigating the influence of word type on percentage recognition This experiment sought to test the accuracy of humanmemory by examining the impact of word type on percentage recognition. The independent variable in the experiment was the type of word whereas the dependent variable was the percentage recognition. Changes in participants’ percentage recognition were measured in the three treatment levels; original words, normal distracters and specific distracters. The results showed that there was high percentage recognition among participants in the original words and specific distracters treatment levels and significantly low percentage recognition in the specific treatment level. These results indicated that studied words (original) and those closely related to them (specific distracters) influence percentage recognition. Understanding percentage recognition provides insight on the formation of false memories. This experiment seeks to understand the phenomena of false memories just building on previous studies done by researchers such as Deese (1959) in order to explain the recent increase in the number of cases of clients recalling inexistent traumatic memories during therapy (Roediger & McDermott, 1995). Investigating the effect of word type on percentage recognition Throughout the years, different researchers have and continue to direct their efforts towards understanding various aspects related to memory and learning. The formation of false memories is one such subject that intrigues most of these researchers. Different non-experimental and experimental studies done on this subject gave tentative explanations pertaining to this phenomenon; however, no single explanation yielded credible facts. This experiment seeks to investigate the formation of false memories by testing the influence of word type on percentage recognition. Bartlett (1932) is credited for laying the foundation for studying false memories; whereby, he observed subjects from his experiments distorting information as they tried to recall the Indian folktale ‘The War of the Ghosts’ after reading it. Through his studies, Bartlett managed to distinguish between reconstructive (remembering by filling in gaps in memory) and reproductive memory (accurate production of rote/ memorized information) (Bartlett, 1932). Borrowing from his work, different psychologists proposed different methods of analyzing false memories. Underwood (1965) developed list-learning paradigms, which provided a procedure of analyzing the formation of false memories through experimentation. They have become the most commonly used test of assessing formation of false memories. From his studies, Underwood discovered that individuals falsely recall words they associate to previously presented words (Roediger & McDermott, 1995). Deese (1959) further advanced Underwoods’ use of list-learning paradigms by creating 36 lists each containing 12 words. The words in each list were associate words to a critical, non-represented word; for example, for the word needle (critical, non-represented word), some of the associate words in the list included pin, sharp, pricked and point. Deese noted that false recall was only specific to lists, which directional associations existed between critical (non-represented) words and those on the list (Deese, 1959). Deese’s work received limited acknowledgement in his era; however, recently more psychologists are recognizing his contributions and are working towards expanding the knowledge base on false memories. Through experimentation, researchers manipulate constructs related to memory and measure aspects such as response time and accuracy of responses in order to widen their knowledge pertaining to false memories. This current experiment borrows from Deese’s and Underwood’s use of list-learning paradigms to investigate the effect of type of word on percentage recognition. Moreover, it seeks to answer the following questions: How accurate is our memory? Will type of word affect our percent recognition? The identification of three treatment levels will facilitate the comparison of the relationship of associations between original words and special and normal distracters after measuring observable changes in the percentage recognition. This will go towards verifying the experiment’s hypothesis, which presumes that original words and special distracters would have high percent recognition, and normal distracters would have low percent recognition. Method Participants The participants include 30 CSI undergraduate students comprising of 21 female participants and 9 male participants. No specific selection criteria was used to select participants as all CSI undergraduate students had no choice but to participate in order to fulfil class requirements. The estimated average age of the participants was 24.52 years. Apparatus (Materials/Stimuli) The materials used in the experiment included desktop and laptop computers, which had CogLab 2.0 software installed in them. Experimental Design The experimental design used was a within subject design, which entails the use of the same participants across all treatment levels of the independent variable. The antecedent variable manipulated in the experiment was the type of word. The treatment levels of the independent variable included original words (studied words), normal distracters (words not studied or related to original words), and special distracters (words not studied but related to original words. Measurements recorded result from observed changes in the percentage recognition, which was the experiment’s dependent variable. Extraneous variables capable of causing confounding errors were absent invalidating the use of different control measures. Procedure The testing procedure was synonymous for all participants and entailed their exposure to two phases, the learning phase and the recognition phase. Each learning phase consisted of 15 words centering on a specific theme and presented at a rate of 1.5 seconds per word. Conversely, the recognition phase consisted of 16 words split into the following categories; 8 original, 7 normal distracters and 1 special distracter. The six special distracters (themes) included; sweet, chair, needle, mountain, rough, and sleep. Participants were presented with six blocks of both phases after which, the computer computed the recognition percentages. Results The means and standard deviations for the three word types are shown in Table 1 and in Figure 1. Overall. There was a significant effect of word type on percent recognition where the original words and special distracters had equivalent percent recognition, which was significantly greater than the normal distracters. Figure 1: Percent recognition is significantly greater for the original words and special distracters as compared to the normal distracters. Table 1 Summary of Effect of Word Type on Percent Recognition Original Normal Special Mean 74 7.54 74.99 Standard Deviation 11.97 11.63 19.65 Discussion How accurate is our memory? Will type of word affect our percent recognition? The results gathered from the experiment reveal that memory is not 100% accurate and that word type affects our percent recognition. The means and standard deviations of original words and special distracters were higher than the mean and standard deviation of normal distracters. There was very little disparity between the means and standard deviations of original words special distracters. The relationship between original words and special distracters prompted the formation of associations within individuals predisposing them to easily recalling them; therefore, increasing percent recognition. Participants found it difficult to recall normal distracters because they failed to form associations between these words in the absence of a pre-existing relationship. As a result, their percent recognition was very low as shown by the low mean and standard deviation. Deese (1959) stressed on the importance of associations in influencing the formation of false memories. Individuals falsely recall words that they perceive have a relationship with previously learnt words (Roediger & McDermott, 1995). It is possible to use these findings to understand the rise in the number of cases of clients recalling inexistent traumatic memories during therapy. One can infer that the false memories are because of the client’s identified associations between past and present psychological, emotional or social maladjustment. References Bartlett, F. C. (1932). Remembering: A Study in Experimental and Social Psychology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Deese, J. (1959). On the Prediction of Occurrence of Particular Verbal Intrusions in Immediate Recall. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 58, 17-22. III, H. L., & McDermott, K. B. (1995). Creating False Memories: Remembering Words Not Presented on Lists. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Learning, Memory and Cognition, 21(4), 803-814. Read More