The Levels of Processing Memory - Essay Example

Research Report for the Levels of Processing Memory by There were numerous studies investigating the impact of the level of information processing on the retrieval of information. This experiment examines how low and deep levels of words processing result in the success of their recall. There were 25 participants involved into the experiment, whose possibilities of memory were tested with the help of 30 questions of 2 levels. The raw data was collected and analysed using a paired samples t-test. The difference between the results achieved with low level of processing and high level of processing was significant enough to prove the study hypothesis. It suggested that deep level of words processing (semantic level) will enhance their retrieval compared to low level of words processing (phonetic and visual levels). Memory is one of the most important mechanisms of human cognitive system allowing us to perceive, interpret, store, and eventually retrieve information received in the process of cognition. Memory is responsible for how fast and effectively we recall the information that was once analyzed and stored by us. Without memory it would be impossible to operate new data and therefore understand and learn anything. It is noteworthy that people have ability to analyze and store all the information coming from all five sensory directions and our short-term memory can probably be regarded as one of the first stages of perception because it can last a couple of seconds (Baddeley, 1997). Methods of memory improvement have always been in the center of scientific research because establishing direct mechanisms that could help a person to mesmerize something would alleviate lives of millions of people. Though the difference between short –term memory and long-term memory was established long ago, there are still a number of questions that have not been answered. The first attempts to explain the process of information storing in short-term memory and its subsequent transferring to long-term memory was done by Atkinson, & Shiffrin who suggested that the information perceived with the help of sensory memory can only reach long-term memory in case of its rehearsal. Therefore, first the information is captured by sensory systems of a human body, and if a person feels necessity to keep this information it is soon enters short-term memory. Its further way to a long-term memory is done only with the help of either maintenance rehearsal or elaborative rehearsal (1968). Later this theory was found too simple, and in further research the quality of rehearsal has become the primary factor of the possibility of effective storage of information. Craik and Lockhart, suggested that the processing of information can occur in one continuum from superficial to deep depending on the involvement of the person in this process. Thus, the deeper the level of analysis the higher the possibility that some facts or phenomena will be stored in log-term memory. There are numerous factors that affect the depth of information processing: the relatedness and interconnection of knowledge to the existing memories, the effort that was made to mesmerize the information along with deliberate attention that was paid, and of course the amount of time spent. Moreover, there also exists the effect according to which the relatedness of information to the learner will also enhance the abilities of long-term memory (Craick & Lockhart, 1972) In the experiment conducted by Craik and Turving participants had to process a number of words on phonetical, semantic, and visual levels, and it turned out that deeper level of information processing (semantic encoding) resulted in more fruitful words storing and further retrieval. Method Design The design of the experiment is similar to the one conducted by Craick and Turving though it has some distinct differences in the nature of the task, methods of results interpretation, and participants involved. The purpose of the experiment was to distinguish if deeper levels of words processing results in greater retention of information later. The independent variable was the manipulation of the level of difficulty of word processing (visual, auditory, and sematic). The dependent variable was the quantity of words retrieved from memory. Repeated measures design was the experimental design utilized and therefore it was crucial to mark the different levels of words recall. To make the design more balanced two different lists of words were used. Participants The participants were recruited through the advertisement in the campus and were all the students of different faculties who had enough time to complete the experiment. Total number of students was 25 with 14 female and 11 male of different age. Nevertheless, there were candidates unable to take part in the research due to poor level of English language that could potentially increase the time of their responses to linguistic tasks. The participants were not informed that they took part in the experiment dedicated to memory. Materials Though the questions to all participants were the same there were two separate lists created in order to counterbalance the results of the experiment each of which had a different order of the words that were supposed to be recalled by the participants. Additionally the participants were provided with instructions and signed informed consent on the participation in the experiment. Procedure As there was no particular space to conduct the experiment it took place in the library as it was the most appropriate place where it was possible to keep quite regime for quite a long time. The optimal number of words, which constituted thirty, was chosen for the experiment. The words that had to be processed were divided between two levels: high and low (fifteen words for each level). Low level of processing Give your answer to the following questions: 1.Does this word have three vowels? blind 2.Is this word correct? beutiful High levels of processing Give your answer to the following questions: 1.Is the following word an antonym to the word underlined in the sentence? happy He was sad after Linda told him about the car. 2.Is the following word a synonym to the word underlined in the sentence? cry She was yelling very loudly. The participants had 15 minutes to answer 30 questions 15 of which were of high level of processing and 15 of low. In the process of answering the questions participants were presented with a distractor- they had to name the alphabet backwards. After each answer a participant had to recall only letter from English alphabet. They had one more minute afterwards to recall the words they remembered from a short-term memory in the answer sheet. It was presumed that the words that required deep processing would be recalled more accurately that the words that were processed on the superficial level. When the experiment was finished all the participants were given a debrief form to explain the purpose of the experiment. Results The results achieved in the course of the experiment are presented in the form of a table. Total Number of Words Mean Number of the Words from Low Level Mean Number of Words from High Level 30 5, 2 7, 1 The results of the experiment signified that the number of words processed on low level was smaller than the number of words processed on high level with the difference being 0.17(3) < 0.23 though overall percentage in both cases being relatively high.. Discussion The results achieved in the course of the experiment are significant, therefore the research hypothesis can be accepted. The significance level that was supposed to prove that deeper levels of processing of information (which includes sematic processing) results in better information retrieval compared to low level of information processing ( on the phonetic and visual level. The difference being 00.6 which is higher than 0.05 it is possible to accept the suggested hypothesis is right. Indicating that distraction such as making participants name alphabet backwards cause disruption to short-term memory storage and recall process, it was important to understand how much this process could interrupt recalling of the words on two levels. Thus, the results as it was prognosed are compatible with the finding done by Craick and Tulving. The environment of the experiment can be regarded as a limitation to the study as there was a possibility of more distractors than from outside. Thus, the noise and the attention of people could be regarded as an extraneous variable. For some participants it was rather difficult to concentrate on the subject in such conditions. The experimental implications regarding short-term memory and long-term memory is that the levels of information processing influence further information retrieval. Further research studying more methods of different levels of processing along with different distractors is needed. References Atkinson, R. C., & Shiffrin, R. M. (1968). Chapter: Human memory: A proposed system and its control processes. In Spence, K. W., & Spence, J. T. The psychology of learning and motivation (Volume 2). New York: Academic Press. pp. 89–195. Baddeley, A.D. (1997). Human memory: Theory and practice (Revised Ed.). Hove, UK: Erlbaum Associates Ltd. Craik, F., & Lockhart, R. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal behavior, 11, 671-684. Craik, F., & Tulving, E. (1975). Depth of processing and the retention of words in episodic memory. Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 104, 268-294. Read More