Psychological Research Report on Memory Essay - 1467 Words

ABSTRACT How is memory encoded and what methods can lead to greater recall? There have been many different models suggested for human memory and many different attempts at defining a specific method of encoding that will lead to greater recall. In this experiment subjects are asked to do a semantic task on a word related to them and an orthographic task in which they analyze the letter in the word. The results of the experiment indicate that the words which where encoded semantically and are related to the self have greater recall. INTRODUCTION In the last half century several theories have emerged with regard to the best model for human memory. In each of these models there was a specific way to help people recall words and†¦show more content†¦Low levels of processing include operations like counting the letters in words and higher levels of processing might include forming semantic relationships such as understanding what the words’ meaning is. According to Craig and Lockhart who formulated this theory memory recall would improve as the information is processed in greater depth. However it has been hard to define exactly what depth is and it has been found that there are other factors that make people remember things. (Zachmeister, E.B., Nyberg 1982) In further studies with human memory it has been found that information that is related to a person’s self is recalled better. This is called SRE or self-reference effect. There have been several explanations for this effect. One is that the self is thought of as a very elaborative memory structure and so when information is related to it is easier to recall because of its connection to that structure. It has also been thought that this might be because of the fact that a person is asked to evaluate a word and this improves recall. One proposition that has been proven experimentally is that the SRE exists because of better recall through organization. In any question where a word has to be related to oneself it has to be organized into one of at least two categories. Through doing this a person will be able to assist his recall of these words. (Klein, Stanley B. Kihlstrom, Jhon F. 1986) The present experiment is a replicationShow MoreRelatedA Split Personality: The Cause and Effects of Multiple Personality Disorder 1285 Words   |  6 PagesDisorder Multiple Personality Disorder, (also called Dissociative Identity Disorder) is an abnormal psychological phenomenon which has baffled psychologists and psychiatrists for years. It is a syndrome marked by the clear existence of two or more â€Å"personalities† (or identities) in a single person, each personality having separate memories, behaviors, physical attributes, and even different gender than the patient. 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