Memory Span
What methods did we employ in this experiment?
On each trial, you saw a list of items presented one at a time in random order and were asked to recall the items in the same order in which they were presented. If you got a list correct, the list length increased by 1 for that type of material. If you got a list incorrect, the list length decreased by 1.
The independent variable is the type of material you were asked to recall: digits, letters, or words. Memory span can be measured in lots of different ways. In this lab, the dependent variable is the length of the last list you correctly recalled.
The first list of each type of item was 3 items long. The longest list that was shown was 10, so the maximum score possible is 10.
What do we predict participants will do? Why?
Your memory span should be highest for digits, slightly lower for letters, and slightly lower again for words. One reason may be that people are more practiced in recalling digits in order (e.g., remembering telephone numbers) than other items. There are a number of different theories, including rehearsal time and differential distinctiveness.
How robust is this effect? Are there limits to this effect?
The basic effect is quite robust, although there are individual differences. For example, some people may not show a difference between digits and letters.
| Student Information | |
| Data Summary for | PSY2942020S2-164 |
| Date Completed | 2020-09-11 16:37:17 Australian Western Standard Time |
| Time Spent On Lab | 28 minutes |
| Type Of Item | Final List Length |
| Digits | 7 |
| Letters | 6 |
| Words | 5 |
Data for group PSY2942020S2
Data as of 2020-09-11 16:37:18 Australian Western Standard Time
The list lengths of the last trial that was correctly recalled for different types of items. This is an estimate of your memory span for the different types of stimulus items.
Means based on data from 158 participants.
| Type Of Stimulus | Final List Length |
| Digits | 6.424 |
| Letters | 5.614 |
| Words | 4.190 |
Standard deviations based on data from 158 participants.
| Type Of Stimulus | Final List Length |
| Digits | 1.507 |
| Letters | 1.413 |
| Words | 0.991 |
Global Data
Data as of 2020-09-11 16:37:18 Australian Western Standard Time
The list lengths of the last trial that was correctly recalled for different types of items. This is an estimate of your memory span for the different types of stimulus items.
Means based on data from 54068 participants.
| Type Of Stimulus | Final List Length |
| Digits | 6.726 |
| Letters | 5.922 |
| Words | 4.339 |
Standard deviations based on data from 54068 participants.
| Type Of Stimulus | Final List Length |
| Digits | 1.571 |
| Letters | 1.494 |
| Words | 1.225 |
