PSY101 Workbook

Module G

Memory (Week 2)  
 

 

Task 1: Recall versus recognition memory Task 3
Task 2: Eidetic memory

 
 

Task 1: Recall versus recognition memory

Recall and recognition are the two most commonly used methods for measuring retention. In experiments using the method of recall, subjects are asked to reproduce information from memory. Some experiments require different types of recall. Free recall is involved when subjects are asked to recall as much as they can in any order. Cued recall makes use of various hints or prompts. In the method of recognition, subjects are required to select responses they have seen, read or heard before. Recognition and recall share one process in common (decision on what item is correct) but differ in that recall requires an additional process (generation of the correct item).

All students have a great deal of experience with both methods. For example, essay questions on an exam measure retention by the method of recall (students are asked to reproduce material in a particular form without having any of the data before them). On the other hand, multiple-choice questions test recognition of the correct response to a question from a set of data.

Studies indicate that recognition is considerably easier than recall, and provides a more sensitive measure of what might be in a person's memory.
 
 

Aim 
To illustrate and compare the recall and recognition measures of retention. 

Materials 
Copies of List A and List B (Box B.1), sheets of A4 paper, a watch (for the experimenter). 

Procedure 

Step 1 Randomly divide a small series of subjects (say 6) into two groups. Group 1 will be given a recognition task and Group 2 a recall task. Your subject should not be told which group they belong to.
Step 2 Distribute a copy of list A to each subject. List A comprises 15 nonsense syllables. Nonsense syllables are used to control familiarity or relevance of the material to subjects. Place the copy face down on the table in front of each subject. The subjects should be instructed not to turn the sheet over until permission is given.
Step 3 Give instructions for task completion such as the following:  

On the sheet in front of you is a list of nonsense syllables. (Explain if necessary.) You will be given four minutes in which to memorise them. You will then be required to recall as many of them as you can. Any questions? Start now.  

After four minutes, instruct subjects to stop and turn the sheet over.
Step 4 Distribute a copy of list B to subjects in Group 1. List B contains the words on list A interspersed with 30 new nonsense syllables. Subjects in Group 1 are required to circle the syllables they recognise as having been in list A. Subjects in Group 2 are given a blank sheet of paper and asked to write down as many of the syllables as they can (recall), in any order. Allow them as much time as they require.  
    Box B.1
List A

        List B
zic  
wab  
quoc  
vuj  
xiq  
ruy  
cej  
kur  
fiw  
sij  
lev  
mof  
jer  
fuh  
xep

 
suh  
vem  
baf  
luw  
yof  
zic  
nax  
vuj  
puq  
cej  
qag  
liw  
kur  
gur  
doj 		 faq  
rul  
sij  
wab  
nim  
mav  
fuy  
cek  
xiq  
zok  
wom  
vaz  
pem  
fiw  
qoc 		 jod  
fuh  
tey  
xep  
jek  
bih  
wom  
lev  
mof  
laj  
jer  
niz  
ruy  
lym  
guh

 

 
Step 5 Score the tests. Subjects can simply count the number of syllables correctly recognised or recalled. Raw scores can be recorded in Table B.1. Calculating the mean score for each group will enable a comparison of recognition and recall. If the mean scores for each group are similar, measures of variability should be used.  

Table B.1: Raw scores on tests of recognition and recall  
  

Group 1 (Recognition)

Group 2 (Recall)

  
  
  
  
  
 

 

  

Interpretation and conclusions 

  1. What conclusions can be drawn from the data? Do the results accord with theoretical expectation?
  2. Between learning the list of nonsense syllables and performing the memory task was there some distraction? Is this an intervening variable? If so, what effect did it have?
  3. Is the recognition method a more sensitive measure of retention than recall for all kinds of information? What about the savings (relearning) method?
  4. If we cannot recall certain information, does this mean the information is no longer stored in memory?
  5. Would you study differently if you knew a test would require only recognition rather than recall? Explain your answer.
  6. In the light of this experiment, what comments can you make on the reliability of eyewitness reports that may be used by police and courts of law?

 

 Post your responses of this experiment to the Subject forum.

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Task 2: Eidetic memory

Eidetic imagery is sometimes called 'photographic memory'. People with this ability can recreate a visual experience in such a way that it seems almost lifelike - the visual image is clear enough in their minds to be 'seen' and scanned for details. Some eidetic imagers can even 'read' an entire page from a book which is no longer present.

Eidetic imagery occurs most often during childhood (about 8 children in 100), is far less frequent during adolescence and is rarely observed in adulthood. Interestingly, the majority of eidetic imagers have no better long-term memory than average.

Studies of eidetic imagery are often conducted by asking subjects to focus on a picture for a certain period of time, then recall the details after the picture is removed. The experiment outlined below is based on this design.
 
 

Aim 
To compare the performance of people of different ages on a test of eidetic imagery. 

Materials 
Stopwatch, figure G:1 (or another picture), pen, blank sheet of paper, tape-recorder (optional). 

Procedure 

Step 1 Look at figure G:1 for 30 seconds. Close the book, take a blank sheet of paper and report what you saw. Describe the picture in as much detail as possible.
Step 2 Secure the co-operation of subjects (say 2) from different age groups (e.g. children 5-12 years, adolescents 13-17 years, adults 18+ years). Remember, you should obtain the consent of parents of children used as subjects.  

Each subject will be tested individually. Have subjects look at the picture for 30 seconds, put the picture aside, then ask them to recall as much as they can of what they saw. Record each subject's response. 
Step 3 Summarise your data, and compare recall of the picture by subjects in different age groups.

Interpretation and conclusions 

  1. What do the data indicate about age-related differences in eidetic imagery?
  2. Studies have shown that eidetic imagery is much more common among children. How do your results relate to theoretical expectations?
  3. Do you think you had a better recall of imagery as a child than you have today? If so, explain why you think so or give an example of what you believe to have been eidetic imagery in your childhood.
  4. Do any individuals whom you know seem to have an unusual ability to recall very detailed and clear images? If so, do they report that this ability is of any advantage to them? In what ways?
  5. What kinds of occupations would someone with eidetic imagery be particularly suited to?
  6. What changes could be made to the design of this experiment to reduce the number of intervening variables that operated?

Variations 

  1. Have some subjects recall an image of the picture immediately after presentation and others recall an image after doing something else for 10 minutes.
  2. 'Open ended' responses are often difficult to summarise. Consider devising a set of questions to complement (or even replace) 'open ended' responses. About five or six questions would suffice. For example, What is written on the board? How many girls in the class? Boys? How many stripes are there on the shoes of the boy standing at the front? Where in the class is the boy with the freckles seated? What objects are on the shelf above the board? Describe the scene in the class mural.

 
Post your responses of this experiment to the Subject forum.

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Task 3

You should be very close to completing your report at this stage. Good luck.

  1. Utilise the suggestions and directions of O'Shea or some other guide to writing.
  2. Check comment on Assignment 1.
  3. Have your work organised to APA (APS) style requirements.
  4. See guides in Appendix B in your Subject Outline.
  5. Have someone read your work for clarity of expression.
  6. Make sure that all spelling and typos are out.
  7. Read Sternberg (1988) to give an overall guide to rhetoric and style. See Appendix A.
  8. Glance through feedback from earlier reports.
  9. See Checklist on Assignment 2 topsheet.

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