Transcript Learning Objectives

Learning Objectives
• To improve performance on the March
mock examination (Remembering and
Forgetting)
What are the advantages
and disadvantages of each
type of experimental design?
Write down one advantage
and one disadvantage for
each one.
Remember experimental design is all about the
way in which participants are used in conditions
within an experiment!
• Repeated measures
• (+) any differences are likely to be due to
changes in the IV and not participant
variables
• (+) fewer participants need to be recruited
as they are used twice (or more)
• (-) order effects – practise effect, fatigue
effect, demand characteristics because
participants take part in all conditions
Remember experimental design is all about the
way in which participants are used in conditions
within an experiment!
• Independent groups
• (+) no order effects because participants take
part in one condition
• (+) task variables can be controlled e.g.
participants can be given the same word list
• (-) any differences could be due to individual
differences, not because of the experiment itself
but because of the motivation of the participants,
for example
Remember experimental design is all about the
way in which participants are used in conditions
within an experiment!
• Matched pairs
• (+) no order effects, participants take part
in one condition
• (+) individual differences are reduced as
participants have been matched up
• (-) time consuming and expensive to
match participants
Introduction
• Similar to yesterday’s lesson we will go
through each question, you will highlight
the point at which you gained a mark and
use a different coloured pen to make any
improvements to your answer
• This will be the last time we look at these
particular questions, so make the most of
it!
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1 (a) Outline what is meant by retrieval failure. Briefly explain how it might
affect a student’s ability to recall information in an examination room after
learning the information while in his bedroom. (4 marks)
[AO1 = 2 AO2 = 2]
(AO1) Up to 2 marks for knowledge of retrieval failure (credit context
dependent forgetting).
(AO2) Up to 2 marks for application to the example.
Possible answer:
Information is stored in LTM (1) but not accessible because the cues
needed to access it are not present. (1). Therefore in this case, the student
learned while in a bedroom but this context does not match his recall
environment of the exam room (1). So he will not be able to recall the
information (1).
Accept other valid answers such as state cues.
(a) This was reasonably well answered. The major failing occurred when
candidates did not apply their knowledge of retrieval failure to the stem,
especially not saying what the effect would be for the student.
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(b) In a study of the effect of interference on memory, a researcher tested participants in one of
two conditions.
In Condition 1 (no interference), a group of 10 participants learned List A, then sat in silence and
finally recalled List A.
In Condition 2 (interference), a different group of 10 participants learned List A, then learned List
B, and finally recalled List A.
The results were as follows:
Table 1: Mean number of words from List A recalled in Condition 1
Condition 1 (no interference) 16.3
Condition 2 (interference) 8.5
(i) Explain whether or not the results in Table 1 show that interference took place in this
experiment. (2 marks)
[AO3 = 2]
1 mark for stating that interference is shown. 1 mark for explanation.
Likely answers:
The results do seem to demonstrate interference, followed by an explanation which
might be reference to the difference in the means or by explanation of the term
interference. Accept other answers eg, the difference may have been caused by
something other than interference, there is no information about random allocation of
participants.
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(ii) Explain one advantage and one disadvantage of using a different group
of participants in Condition 2 of the experiment. (4 marks)
[AO3 = 4]
Up to 2 marks for an advantage – likely points include: there will not be any
order effects/practice/fatigue, so procedural variables which could affect the
performance are better controlled. Answers may focus on the fact that the
study would be flawed if the same lists of words were presented to the
same participants twice.
Up to 2 marks for a disadvantage – likely points include: there might be
participant differences so the differences in the results could be due to
these and not interference.
Accept other valid explanations.
(b) (ii) Many candidates scored half marks for this question. They were able
to identify the advantage and disadvantage quite well, but failed to relate
their answers to the possible effects and the results. There were many
responses of the ‘it wouldn’t be a fair test’ or ‘it would make it fairer’ variety.
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Section 2
2. Outline the multi-store model of memory. (3 marks)
Question 15
[AO1 = 3 marks]
AO1 Up to 3 marks for the following:
1 mark for naming of stores
1 mark for reference to rehearsal
1 mark for further feature of the model (capacity, duration or coding
of stores).
• Credit description using a detailed diagram.
• Question 15
• This was generally well-answered with many candidates gaining the
full three marks for a clear outline of the model. Lost marks were
often explained by a failure to refer to ‘rehearsal’ or the existence of
a ‘sensory store/memory’.
• 3. What is meant by lack of consolidation? Suggest one reason why
lack of consolidation might occur. (2 marks)
• [AO1 = 1 mark, AO2 = 1 mark]
• AO1 1 mark for reference to the memory not becoming permanently
fixed due to some
• physical disruption. Failure to modify neurons/cell assemblies.
• AO2 1 mark for a valid explanation such as: disruption of
neurochemical activity, head trauma, ECT, drugs.
• Question 16
• Although most candidates were able to access a mark for explaining
why ‘lack of consolidation’ occurs (usually ‘head
trauma/concussion’); very few made it clear that this particular
theory of forgetting explains loss of information as being due to
physical disruption. Often, the definitions offered were vague and did
not adequately distinguish lack of consolidation from other forms of
forgetting; most notably, trace decay.
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4. Outline the interference explanation of forgetting and briefly discuss one limitation of this
explanation. (5 marks)
[AO1 = 3 marks, AO2 = 2 marks]
AO1 Up to 2 marks for a description of interference theory.
Likely points: Events that take place between learning and recall can disrupt memory, proactive
interference occurs when older learning/memories cause forgetting of newer information,
retroactive interference occurs when newer learning causes forgetting of older memories,
interference more likely if competing memories are similar.
1 mark for stating that interference can be proactive or retroactive.
1 mark for identifying an appropriate limitation of the theory.
Likely limitations: Most of the research uses artificial tasks/lacks ecological validity. There is a
difficulty in separating the effects of interference and decay over time. The theory does not explain
the possible cognitive processes involved. It does not adequately explain forgetting of semantic
material.
AO2 Up to 2 marks for a brief discussion of the limitation identified. Possible answer for lack of
ecological validity: Using tasks like learning unrelated words and in a laboratory/highly controlled
environment means that the results may not reflect the processes that occur in everyday memory/
cannot be generalised to normal memory use.
The discussion might be via use of evidence, for example: Jenkins and Dallenbach (1924) or
counter argument.
Question 17
Many candidates gave an accurate outline of interference, usually by explaining the
two types: ‘proactive’ and ‘retroactive’. Some candidates confused interference with
displacement or more general forms of ‘distraction’. Lots of candidates could state a
limitation but very few developed this into a coherent discussion. As a consequence,
there were very few five-mark responses. Those that did gain full marks tended to
focus on the artificial nature of the evidence supporting the explanation: that studies
are often designed to deliberately induce interference by pairing similar sorts of
material within short time-frames. A surprisingly high number of candidates gave
limitations that were based on the erroneous assumption that interference only
explains forgetting in long-term memory.
What have we learnt?
• Summarise your learning today in a tweet
• @Miss Earl today I have
learnt…………………………..