False Memory & Serial-Position Effect: M4 Experiential Task

Experiment

My two volunteers for this experiment were Nicole Bloomer, one of my best-friends, and Kylee Dodson, my roommate who is also one of my best-friends. Nicole is actually a Psychology major and she was excited to perform this task. I gave Kylee and Nicole a piece of paper and a pencil so they could write down as many words they could remember from the lists. I read the first list slowly and when I finished they began to write. Nicole only remembered five words out of 14. Kylee remembered eight words out of 14. Then I began to read the words off of the 2nd list and they began to write. This time Nicole remembered 11 out of 27 words. Kylee remembered 12 out of 27 words. I asked both of them why they remembered more words from this list, even though it is longer then the first one. They both agreed that the first list were words they didn't really feel were that important to them. They also agreed that the second list they could associate with the words more because they were about the medical field, and they both feel that the medical field is very important. I asked both of them if they remembered the word "Aardvark" from the first list. They both said no, and they looked at me like I was crazy. They were both right because the word was not on the list. Then I asked if they remembered the word "needle." Both said no, but now that I mentioned it they remembered the word. I told them after that I did not say the word needle. They were both surprised and they agreed that needle could easily have been in the first list because it goes in the same category as the other words, so that's why they thought I read it out loud. I then asked if they remembered the words "pain" and "thread" which were the first and last words of the first list. They both remembered the words and they said they remembered it because it was the first and last words I said. Then I asked if they remembered the words "point" and "sharp" and they both said no. These words were directly in the middle of the list. By looking at their list's I saw that they remembered the first few words and the last few words from both lists. I asked them if they remembered the word "doctor" from the second list. Nicole said she remembered the word and wrote it down. I explained to her that doctor wasn't on the list, and she said it could have easily fit in the second lists category of words. Then I asked if they remembered the word "drive-in" and they both said no. Which that word was not on the list.

What They Learned

I began to explain the concept of false memory to both of them. I even told them the story that Dr. Selvaraj told us about the boy who was kidnapped when he was little from his stroller, but turned out that he never got kidnapped at all. They were both very shocked and appalled. I also explained to them some of the techniques people use to remember things. For example, how they associated the
categories of words in the list. They seemed very interested in learning about this.

Both Kylee and Nicole said that they enjoyed this experiment and learning about memory. Nicole was especially interested since she is a psychology major herself. They said they give this experiment a thumbs up!

Memory

Memory is the mental capacity or faculty of retaining and reviving facts, events, impressions, etc. or recalling or recognizing previous experiences. Most of us don't realize how important memory is to our everyday life. Without it we as humans couldn't be able to function.
We have both short term memory, which is usually less important things, and we have long term memory, which is where we have stored things to remember the rest of our lives.

Thoughts on Improving Memory-Tests & Strategies

There are many ways that we can help improve our memory. For example, by making up rhymes, using symbols, or even using humor. I think it is very important to want to improve your memory. With age a person's memory begins to decay, some faster than others. Even if a person doesn't have Alzheimers or Dementia, a person's memory still gradually gets worse. Using these techniques and tools in following link can help you slow down the process!

https://www.mindtools.com/memory.html

Thoughts on Memory Related Disorders & Forgetting

Often times memory disorders can result from neurological damage, such as concussions. There are also cases that are genetic which are called Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is generally diagnosed around the age of 65. It is a progressive, degenerative, and even fatal disease. The usual symptom of Alzheimers is often forgetting long term memories, such as a past experience or even forgetting who a person is when they look in the mirror. Another symptom includes is not being able to have short term memory. 

Personally, I have had personal experiences with Alzheimer's. My great grandmother had Alzheimer's really bad. I was a child, but I remember that my parents always had to introduce her to me, because she didn't remember who I was, even though I might have just seen her minutes before. Sadly, my grandpa's memory is deteriorating from it as well. His memory isn't very bad yet, but I know with time there is no avoiding it. 

Sources:

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/memory?s=t

https://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/memory

https://www.mindtools.com/memory.html

http://www.human-memory.net/disorders_alzheimers.html

Learning

The definition for learning in the world of psychology is the modification of behavior through practice, training, or experience. There are 3 types of learning in the field of behavioral psychology: classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning.

Classical Conditioning

This type of learning is in which an association is made between a neutral stimulus and a stimulus that evokes a response. Ivan Pavlov conducted an experiment to see how much the dog would salivate when it came to food. The smell of food would make the dog salivate so this was the neutral stimulus. Then later he paired the sound of the bell with the food. At first the bell had no effect, but the dog began to learn that the sound of the bell signaled food. So then the bell produced a response, which was salivation. 

Operant Conditioning

This is the process in which the probability of the response occurring is either decreased or increased due to punishment, or reinforcement. Edward Thorndike was the first to study this and later B.F. Skinner. They discussed that reinforcement led to increases of behaviors and punishment led to decreases in behaviors.

Observational Learning

The process in which learning occurs from observing or the imitation of others. There are four important things that are vital to effective observational learning: attention, motor skills, motivation, and memory. Albert Bandura was the first to suggest this process. Bandura conducted the "Bobo Doll" experiment. First he showed an adult using violence on the doll. Later he showed the children and based on what they saw from the adults they began to express violence towards the doll. 

Personal Learning

I think the type of learning that stood out to me the most was observational learning. I think this is one of the most understood ways to learn. I believe this is very important when it comes to raising a child. Children are constantly observing the world around them whether they know it or not, so it is natural for them to imitate certain actions, whether they are good or bad. 

Sources

http://www.dictionary.com/browse/learning?s=t

https://www.verywellmind.com/learning-study-guide-2795698