Chapter 1. Brown-Peterson

1.1 Introduction

Cognitive Tool Kit
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Brown-Peterson

This experiment examines what is often called short-term or working memory. This type of memory is where information is held to be used in the current moment. These are the memories of which you are currently aware. Understanding how this form of memory functions tells us the limits and nature of memory we are actively using in the current moment. You are familiar with repeating or rehearsing what you wish to remember for a short period. This need to repeat an item tells us that items do not last very long in short-term memory. They seem to fade unless we keep them fresh by repeating or rehearsing them. In this experiment, you will be prevented from this kind of repeating, called maintenance rehearsal, to allow us to examine the fading in more detail. We address these questions: What happens to this information? How fast does it fade away?

References:

Brown, J. (1958). Some tests of the decay theory of immediate memory. Quarterly Journal of Experimental Psychology, 10, 12-21.

Peterson, L., & Peterson, M. (1959). Short-term retention of individual verbal items. Journal of Experimental Psychology, 58(3), 193-198.

1.2 Experiment Setup

1.3 Instructions

Instructions

You need to follow these directions carefully for this experiment to work.

You will need to press the space bar to begin the experiment. At the beginning of each trial, a fixation mark will appear. Please look at this mark. After a brief delay, you will see three letters with a three-digit number right below. Try to remember the three letters. After the letters and numbers are removed, there will be an intervening period, or delay, before you are asked to recall the letters. Immediately start counting backward by threes out loud as fast as you can, starting from the displayed number. If you lose track or forget the number, pick a different number and start over. It is vital that you do this task as quickly as you can. There will be a beeping tone to indicate how fast you should try to count. Do your best to keep up. In no case should you stop. At the same time, there will be a dot on the screen and a box. Move your mouse to track the dot. For this experiment to work, it is vital for you to be completely engaged in these intervening tasks. At the end of the intervening period, the word “Recall” will display on the screen. Type the letters you recall in order and press enter to begin the next trial.

1.4 Experiment

Begin Experiment

1.5 Results

Results

1.6 Quiz

Quiz

Question 1.1

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1
Incorrect.
Correct.
The independent variable is the value that is changed by the experimenter. In this case, the delay between the presentation of the letter string and when you can recall it was varied, so the correct answer is delay.

Question 1.2

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
The dependent variable is the value that the experimenter collects to indicate how you performed in the experiment. In this case, we determined how many letters you typed in the correct position. So the correct answer is percent correct.

Question 1.3

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1
Correct.
Incorrect.
This experiment examined how items are held in memory for a brief period so they can be used. This is a form of short-term memory.

Question 1.4

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Correct.
Incorrect.
If you wish to remember something, you will tend to repeat it to yourself. This behavior is called maintenance rehearsal. Since this experiment is designed to examine how memory fades from short-term memory, this rehearsal had to be prevented. The correct answer is to prevent you from rehearsing the letters.

Question 1.5

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Correct.
Incorrect.
The standard experiment results, as indicated by the graph, find that most items are gone within 15-20 seconds, making this option the correct answer.