The Effect of Word Order on the Memory of Boyd Anderson IB Students
Originally preformed by Maglennon
Purpose:
The purpose of this experiment is to determine if organization effects memory.
Hypothesis:
If word lists are organized in some meaningful way, Boyd Anderson IB students will recall better then from a jumbled list.
Null Hypothesis:
If Boyd Anderson IB students are given lists of words, then they will recall the same amount of words from the jumbled list as from the organized list.
Operational Definition:
For the purpose of this experiment the dependent variable of recollection is defined as the number of words recalled from the organized list and the jumbled list. The independent variable of a list is defined as a list of 15 human names. The organized list will be organized in a way that the names get longer and less common as the list goes on and the jumbled list will be randomized with the same names.
Description of Research:
The subjects that will be tested will be Boyd Anderson IB freshman. Half the class will be given the random list and the other half will be given the organized list. The organized list will be labeled “A”, the random list will be “B” and will be passed out without the subjects knowledge of which they have received. The purpose of randomizing that gets which form is to make sure no discrimination takes place and that an equal number of subjects get each form. The setting were the observations will be made will be in either Dr. Monroe’s History class or Mrs. Bill’s English class to insure that no subject is tested twice.
The procedure is as follows. Upon entering the class I will give a brief disclaimer offering any subject the option of not partaking in the experiment if they so please. Then I will proceed to explain the purpose of the experiment and continue to pass out the separate forms at random. The subjects will be given a minute to look over the names on the sheet of paper. They will then be asked to turn that paper over and on the back write as many as they are able to remember. The subjects will have only one minute to recall the names. Then the materials will be collected and divided into the organized and random lists to be analyzed.
The data that has been collected will consist of the list of words the subjects had written down. The data will be analyzed within their respectable classes as well as a whole. There are a few potential variables that could negatively affect the results. It is always a possibility that students will cheat by flipping back over their paper or looking on a classmates list. Subjects’ may not put an honest effort into memorizing or recalling the names. It is also possible that the time in which the test is given may affect the attentiveness of the students therefore affecting the results between classes.
