Methods and Results, Essay Example

Methods

To determine the efficacy of the short-term memory, six participants will be asked to memorize a set of numbers. The number set will then appear on a screen before them, and they will be required to choose whether or not the number appeared in the original set in addition to being tested on how long it takes them to recognize the number. There will be two independent variables in this experiment including the size of the memory set which will range from one to six digits and the probes present, which include two levels in the form of positive and negative probes. The dependent variable that will be measured by this experiment is how long it takes the participant to decide whether the number they encounter has appeared on their list of nine numbers. This is the reaction time and it will be measured using milliseconds.

The data will be sorted according to whether or not the participant is able to recall the data in addition to the mean time in milliseconds that is required to recall the number. This information will be collected in a chart that lists the participant numbers in the rows and the ability to recall the number in the columns. All data will be retrieved from the PSYCHMATE program. The data will be analyzed by conducting a 2 by 6 ANOVA on the amount of numbers recalled, therefore indicating the short-term memory of the participants. The results will be considered statistically significant if the calculated ANOVA statistic provides a p-value of less than 0.05. After the ANOVA statistic is calculated, the data will be plotted on a line graph to determine the differences in response time between the positive and negative probes and the relationship between response time and number set size. Microsoft Excel will be used to perform all descriptive statistic and graphical analyses.

Results

The 2 by 6 ANOVA was performed on the amount of numbers recalled which reflects the ability of the short-term memory of the participants. We found no significant effects on the method used by the participant to memorize the numbers (F(5, 96) = 1.65; p > .05) or the length of the list of digits (F(1, 96) = 1.65; p > .05). Furthermore, no interaction effect was detected (F(5, 96) = 0.07; p > .05).

Figure 1 Mean reaction time to response time in memory set size.

Figure 1 shows both the mean reaction time for response for each set of numbers provided to the participant in addition to the difference in reaction time for positive probes and negative probes. The error bars represent the standard deviations of response time for each memory size set. Ultimately, figure 1 graphically demonstrates that there is no major difference between reaction time for the positive and negative probes. Furthermore, it indicates that there is no real difference in reaction time for each memory set size.

The statistical and graphical results indicate that there is no relationship between memory set size and reaction time, and that there is no difference between tests that utilize positive and negative probes.

Works Cited

Loftus, E. F. Eyewitness Testimony. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1979. Print.

St. James, James D., Schneider, Walter, & Eschman, Amy. PsychMate Student Guide, Version 2.0: Experiments for Teaching Psychology. Pittsburgh, PA: Psychology Software Tools, Print.