FREE ESSAY ON EFFECTS OF SHORT TERM MEMORY

EFFECTS OF SHORT TERM MEMORY

Effect of Short Term Memory with 
Visual Perception of Numbers
People have always wondered why they were able to remember certain things but forget
others. After cramming for a test, why do you usually forget all the information over the
next few days? When people cram for tests they have a tendency to use Type I rehearsal,
which is repetition. Repetition is when you say the same thing over and over again until
you memorize it. Type II rehearsal is elaboration. Elaboration is trying to connect what
you are learning to something you already know. Elaboration is very effective. An example
of Type II rehearsal would be the acronym of HOMES. HOMES could help a person remember
the names of the Great Lakes - Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior, by using the
first letter of each of the great lakes name. 
Given the overall importance of Short Term Memory, there could be factors that cause
certain people to have a better short term memory than others. An experiment was done by
Ronald B. Gillam to see if specific Language Impairment Children had the same memory
capacity of average 16 year olds. Gilliam asserted:
each participant was tested at a level that was consistent with his or her auditory short
term memory span. The study concluded that the specific Language Impairment Children have
difficulty either retaining or using phonological codes and tests that require multiple
mental operations (Gilliam et al, 1998, p.913).
Proper information such as that given by Gillam could suggest that there are many
complications concerning memory. Even after studies and experiments have been done, there
are too many questions dealing with Short Term Memory; however these experiments and
studies help us learn more about Short Term Memory. 
Short Term Memory is greatly complicated, but there are things to help improve memory. As
stated before, you could use mnemonic devices like Homes. Another good way to ensure
remembering pieces of information which is to study it long after you think you know it
perfectly. This process is called overlearning. The more thoroughly you learn something,
the more lasting the memory will be (Loftus, 1989, p. 394).
In the experiment, if the participant was given enough time between numbers, it would
seem reasonable to think that the person could relate it to something. The hypothesis of
the experiment would be that the participants would remember more during the five minute
span than the one minute span, since there is more time before the next number is given.
Method
Participants
Participants were drawn from an introductory class at Lycoming College who were picked
randomly as a result of a class assignment. All of the five students were administered
the same test. Of the five students, two were male, and three were female. Their ages
ranged from 18-20.
Apparatus
The experiment was conducted in a small room in an introductory psychology class. The
small room consisted of a table and two chairs. The experimenter was equipped with 10
index cards which had single numbers of 0,1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8, and 9. Each index card had its
own number. The experimenter also had a stop watch. The assistant experimenter was
equipped with a piece of paper and a pencil.
Procedure
The five participants were instructed what the experiment was about. The five
participants were picked one at a time and placed into a small room to start the
experiment. The participants sat across from the experimenter. They were separated by the
table. Once inside the room the experimenter and assistant experimenter told the
participant what the experiment was for and they could stop participating in the
experiment at any time and for any reason. The ten numbered index cards were laying face
down on the table. The experimenter would give numbers from 0-98. The experimenter could
not give the numbers of 11,22,33,44,55,66,77,88,and 99 for the reason that each index
card had its own number. 
The experimenter told the participant that he/she would give a number every 2 seconds for
1 minute. The assistant experimenter would write down the numbers the experimenter would
show on a piece of paper. The experimenter never said the number, he just showed the
number. After showing 30 numbers (1 minute), the participant would say all the numbers he
or she remembered in the minute span. The assistant experimenter circled all the numbers
the participant remembered. After giving all the numbers the participant remembered, the
experimenter told the participant the experiment would break for a minute, and start
giving 30 different numbers over a span of five minutes. 
The subjects knew what the experiment was for, and the experimenter told them the results
of the experiment. The results were compared to the other participants and by gender. 
Results
Results showed that, as predicted, the five minute span indicated to be more effective in
short term memory. The males showed better results than the females. The overall average
for the participants for the span of the one minute (one number every 2 seconds) was 10
out of 30 numbers remembered. For the five minute span, the average was 19 out of 30
remembered. The male average for the minute span was 11 out of 30 while the female
average was approx. 9 out of 30. The males average for the five minute span was 20 out of
30 while the female average was approx. 18 out of 30 remembered. A study done by William
F. Vitulli also showed in his experiment dealing with memory, men scored higher than
women (Vitulli et al, 1996, p. 1331). 
Discussion
The results support the hypothesis that the participants memory significantly increased
when they had more time between numbers. With knowing that all of the five participants
increased greatly with the longer interval of times helps support the study by Albert
Postma. Postma did a study that participants were given objects and numbers over 30
seconds and the participant were required to relocate the various subjects within the
display merely to reconstruct positions, or to assign objects correctly to an equal
number of pre-marked positions. Postman asserted the following:
two processes can be distinguished: one that underlies the construction of a positional
map and one that assign objects to positions (Postma et al, 1996, p. 178).
Such a study suggests that for different components dealing with memory has specific
functions in the brain. Consideration with Short Term Memory should be looked at more
efficiently to show students and people that try to memorize for a test, or trying to
remember a past event should be done correctly. Complications can result in short term
memory which will be later dumped. In order to remember something efficiently we should
relate it to something or even if you think you know it inside and out to spend more time
with it. The importance of short term memory should be shared with the public.
Suggestions given to help improve memory skills of people could improve the quality of
learning.
During the experiment the experimenter was hoping that the participant would use a
process called chunking. Chuncking is the process of reconfiguring items by grouping them
on the basis of similarity or some other organizing principle, or by combining them into
larger patterns based on information stored in long-term memory. An example of chunking
would be 194119171865. Instead of remembering twelve separate numbers, a person could
remember three important dates, 1941,1917, and 1865 (Zimbard and Gerrig, 1996, p. 353-4).

A participant in the experiment ended up doing exceptionally well in the five minute
span. When the experimenter asked the participant how he/she was able to remember so many
numbers, his/her reply was, I related the numbers to something of my interest.
Future research should be done about short term memory to compare and contrast why people
are able to remember certain things but forget others. Short term memory has proven to be
a worthless task in learning. 
In this experiment regarding short term memory it is important to recognize that people
have an easier time remembering things as a result of being able to relate it to
something, or if they find it interesting. This conclusion shows that further research
needs to be done in order to learn more about the brain and how it deals with memory.
Short Term Memory is a broad topic that needs to be put into smaller sections. We need to
support and understand and ask the questions why short term memory is so hard to
comprehend. The experiment that was used has provided some information in dealing with
short term memory, but we need to take steps in finding the causes of forgetting, and
remembering. 
Bibliography
References
Gillam, Ronald B., Cowan, Nelson., and Marler, Jeffrey A. (1998). Information Processing
by school-age children with specific language impairment: Evidence from a modality effect
paradigm. Journal of Speech, language, and Hearing Research, 41 (4), 913-926.
Loftus, Elizabeth, F. Memory. World Book Encyclopedia. 1989ed.
Postma, Alberta, De Haan, and Edward H.F. (1996). What was Where? Memory for object
locations. Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Experimental Psychology, 49, (1),
178-199.
Vitulli, William F., Laconsay, Kendra L.M., and Shepard, Heather A. (1996). Genzfeld
perceptual field and gender effects on short term memory as a function of rate of digit
presentation. Journal of Perceptual and Motor Skills, 82, 1331-1340.
Zimbardo, Philip G., and Gerrig, Richard J. (1996). Psychology and Life. New York, New
York: Harper Collins Publishers Inc.