Lab Determining What Type Of Stimulus Info Is More Easily Remembered

Lab: Determining What Type of Stimulus Info is More Easily Remembered Abstract A single subject study took place where a male, university student, willingly took part in helping determine what type of stimulus information is more easily remembered. The two types of stimulus introduced were meaningful (CVC) and randomized (CVC). The number of errors made among the two stimuli was also studied. This experiment was done using a computer generated program on verbal learning. Using this program, the subject was presented with seven items of stimuli (CVC) and was to remember what each stimuli was in the correct order. It was found that there are more correct responses when meaningful stimulus is used and the speed of responding to the stimuli is faster when a meaningful CVC is used, rather than in random fashion. Introduction Remembering is the retrieval of information, which is stored in memory. The act of remembering takes place when a correct response is given to a certain stimuli presented. Forgetting is a weakening of this stimulus-response relationship. The Purpose of this experiment is to determine what type of stimulus information is more easily remembered, be it in randomized manner or meaningful. When are more errors made in remembering the stimuli, among these two types of stimuli used (CVC). Also, when a correct response is given, which was the type of stimuli (CVC) that caused this to occur. The design of this experiment on verbal learning has both within-subject and between-subject variables. The within-subject variables are the words (CVC) that are stored in the computer which are the default words to be used. The between-subject variables are the number of stimuli used and the choice of the stimuli using the experimenters own words (CVC). The independent variable for this lab is the number of stimuli presented and the type of stimulus word (CVC) that was used, being both randomized and meaningful. The dependent variables are the number of errors made and the mean correct response latency (speed of responding). Number of errors will be highest in the randomized ordered stimuli, and the speed of responding will be slower in the randomized stimuli condition. Method A single subject, male, twenty years of age in first year of University volunteered to take part in this experiment on Verbal Behaviour. The apparatus used in this experiment was an IBM compatible computer, a monochrome monitor (non-colour), and a Raven dot matrix printer. Running on the IBM compatible was a computer generated program on Verbal Learning from which this experiment originated. Procedure: The first step in this experiment requires that the experimenter get the computer and program ready for the student. The computer, monitor and printer were to be turned on . When the computer was ready and flashing a cursor, Caps Lock was to be pressed, so all letters will be in capital form. The name of the program to be run (VL) was to be typed into the keyboard. When the program had loaded, a menu showed up on the screen, and Verbal Learning (selection 8) was to be run. A timing number was to be keyed into the computer (3.578) and then the Serial Learning feature was to be chosen (option 1). After the above steps, the rest of the experiment was entirely up to the experimenter. After the timing number was entered, the experimenter could either accept the default values for the parameters of the experiment already stored in the computer, or could change any of the parameters. For the first part of the experiment, the number of stimuli was changed (option 1) from ten to seven stimuli. The stimuli (CVC) used in this part of the experiment were in a randomized fashion. Listed below are the parameters for the first part of the experiment and the words (CVC) used : 1) Number Of Stimuli = 7 2) Inter-Trial Interval = 3 sec. 3) Maximum Stimulus Presentation Time = 5 sec. 4) Duration of Correct Answer Display = 5 sec. 5) Completion Criterion = 3 Totally Correct Trials. CVC Used In Randomized Fashion From Default Settings: Stimulus Word 1) TEF 2) BUW 3) HAJ 4) QIH 5) YUJ 6) KEJ 7) ZAH Then it was time for the subject to participate. The subject had five seconds to view each of the seven stimulus words, which were to be remembered in the correct order. There was a three second delay between each of the seven words. After this inspection interval, the subject was to type in the correct response in the