Method: You will be given a piece of paper and pen and asked to look at a slide at the screen which will flash a slide in front of you for three seconds then disappear. The slide consists of a 4 by 3 grid with characters in it. AFTER it has flashed off write down as many characters as you can remember from it, you will not be given any indication for this, just, as soon as it flashes off write the characters down. Although the slide will appear as a grid you can write them down as you please, the paper is yours and therefore you may choose a style most appropriate to you.
Please Note:
- It is NOT an intelligence test. No assumptions about your I.Q. will be made
- Please refrain from making the answers up as they grossly affect my results.
Thank you for your time, it is greatly appreciated. Your contribution will greatly help me towards the completion of my coursework.
Standard Instructions-
- I am sending around a consent form please and tick it to show are still willing to take part in this investigation.
- When the slide appears you are going to have to look at it. Then when it flashes off write down as many characters as you can remember from it, (you will not be given any indication for this just, as soon as it flashes off write the characters down.)
- Although the slide will appear as a grid you can write them down as you please, the paper is yours and therefore you may choose a style most appropriate to you.
- At the door, on the table to your left, there is the debriefing statement please read it carefully before leaving and tick it to show that you have understood it and have been debriefed.
- Thank you for your time.
- Bye.
Standard Procedure-
A potential participant from the target population was approached and asked if they currently study psychology or have studied it in the past? If they answered yes then they were thanked for their time and were told they cannot take part in the experiment as they may know the aim. If they answered no they were asked if they would take part in an A2 psychology coursework investigation. If they refuse to take part they were thanked for their time and another person was approached. However if they agreed I would ask them if they are able to come to the Drama Theatre in Bolton Sixth Form College on Thursday 12th July at 12:40pm.
On that day the drama theatre was prepared so there is enough equipment and room to carry out the investigation without disturbance. Also a “do not disturb sign” was stuck on the door (see appendix) I also made sure the temperature in the room was controlled. Then as each participant entered the room I asked him/her to read the consent form to be sure they have understood it then I’d carry out the experiment through following the standard instructions. In front of each participant there will be a pen and a piece of paper. Then I said “start” and bought up the slide on the screen so each participant could see it which stayed on for three seconds then flashed off. After which the participants wrote down as many characters as they could recall. Finally the participants were debriefed which the participant had to tick to assure understanding of the investigation and the aim. Participants were able to approach me to ask any questions, if not, they were thanked for their time and were able to leave.
Brief-
A potential participant from the target population was approached and asked if they currently study psychology or have studied it in the past? If they answered yes then they were thanked for their time and were told they cannot take part in the experiment as they may know the aim. If they answered no they were asked if they would take part in an A2 psychology coursework investigation. If they refuse to take part they were thanked for their time and another person was approached. However if they agreed I would ask them if they are able to come to the Drama Theatre in Bolton Sixth Form College on Thursday 12th July at 12:40pm.
Consent Form-
I have given my informed consent to take part in Fatima Umar’s A2 Level Coursework on memory. I have been told that I can withdraw myself from the experiment at any time. I have also been told that my results will stay confidential.
Yes No Date:
Debriefing Statement-
The true purpose of the experiment that you participated in was to find out the capacity of the short term memory and how it is affected.
Sign-
Do Not Disturb!
Results-
The data being obtained is quantitative as it is based on figures or number collecting. The data obtained was not normally distributed and therefore was non-parametric. The statistic test that will be used will be a Mann-Whitney test.
From this it can be seen that p= 0.0455 therefore, p=<0.05 and therefore the results obtained are significant with a significant correlation. DF=2.
Bar Chart Shows Mean
X axis- 1=Amount of answers given right
2=Amount of answers nearly given right
3=Amount of answers given wrong
4= Amount of answers it was out of
Conclusion-
Overall the aim of the study was to investigate the capacity of the short term memory and what effects certain information has on it. From the investigation it was found that what was expected was backed up which is reflected in the results section and therefore the experimental hypothesis was backed up and the null hypothesis can be rejected. Therefore from this it can be seen that different types of information does have an effect on the short term memory.
