Matched vs mismatched

• Matched condition: learning in the room and

testing in the room.

• Mismatched condition: learning in the room

and testing in the corridor.
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 CS2.3 GRANT (1998)
Context-Dependent Memory for Meaningful
Material: Information for students

Unit 2: Psychological Themes through Core

Studies
Cognitive Area: Contemporary Study
Key theme: Memory
Core Study Assessment Objectives
• AO1: Knowledge of area/perspective, theory,
background, method, results and conclusions of
the research.
• AO2: Apply knowledge of core study to novel
sources.
• AO3: Evaluate methodological issues of the
procedure.
• AO3: Interpret how the study supports and
challenges positions on areas, issues and debates.
 Cognitive Key Terms
• Why is it easier to answer multiple choice than short
answer questions:

• Recognition: identifying whether you have

experienced something before.
• Recall: accessing information and memories without
any prompts.

• Context: the environment in which information is

learned.
 Theory the study is based on
AO1: Key Theme: Memory
• Context dependency: the context or state we are in when
learning information makes the same information easier to
recall.
• Context: when you learn new information you store it in
the mind with all the information you learned at the same
time.
• Being reminded of any one part of the information, makes
it easier to remember others.
• The information acts as a ‘cue’, a reminder of the other
information.
 Background to the Core Study
AO1: Godden and Baddeley (1975)
• Participants learned information whilst either
underwater or on land.
• Had to recall 38 unrelated 2 or 3 syllable words, in
groups of 3.
• Participants found it easier to recall the information
when in the context they learned it.
• Criticised for not using a realistic everyday
environment or using realistic information to learn
and test.
 Background to the Core Study
• Create a list of 2 or 3 syllable unrelated words:

• What is wrong with using this sort of stimuli:

 Aim
AO1: Aim
• To study whether environmental context has a
positive effect on performance.
• To use meaningful materials: tests and
contexts typically found in a school.
 Research Method
AO1: Research Method
• Design: Independent measures
• Explain:

• Research Method: Laboratory experiment

• Explain:

• How data is gathered: Self report

• Explain:

• Data type: Quantitative

• Explain:
 Research Method
AO3: Research Method Interpretation
• Discuss the reliability of the research:
– 2 supporting:

– 2 challenging:
 Sample
AO1: Sample
• Sample: 39 in total. Ages 17-56. 17 females and 22 males.
– (It was 40 but one set of results were removed)
• Why is it a problem to let researchers remove participants from
their sample:

• All from around Iowa University area.

• Sampling Technique: Snowball sampling.
– Each experimenter recruited 5 acquaintances to serve as
participants.
• What is a problem with snowball sampling:
 Research Method
AO3: Research Method Evaluation
• Identify methodological issues in:
– Independent measures:

– Laboratory experiment:

– Snowball sampling:
 Research Method
AO1: Variables
• IV: Matched or Mismatched
– Matched: - learning in silence and testing in silence or
learning with noise and testing with noise.
– Mismatched: - learning is silence and testing in noise or
learning in noise and testing in silence.
• DV: memory
– a short answer recall test out of 10
– a multiple choice recognition test out of 16
• Difference between IV and DV:
 Research Method
AO3: How data was gathered
• Why do cognitive psychologists often use self report:

• What is a weakness of using self report:

• Elaborate: why is it a weakness:

 Procedure
AO1: Procedure
• Participants in the noise condition listened to a tape containing
the sound of a Iowa State University cafeteria at lunchtime:
– hum of conversation
– words and phrases but no complete sentences
– chairs and dishes.
• Played at a moderately loud level.
• A two page article on psychoimmunology (the interaction
between psychology and the immune system) was selected as
the to-be-studied material.
• Why use the noise of a university canteen:
 Procedure
AO1: Procedure
• Memory was measured using:
– 10 Short Answer Questions. This was always given out first.
– 16 Multiple Choice Questions. Each question had a choice
of 4 answers.
• Instructions were read aloud.
• Participants were asked to read the article once, as if
they were reading it for a class assignment.
• They were allowed to highlight and underline.
• Why do this:
 Procedure
AO1: How data was gathered
Multiple Choice Question
• The article describes a study that looked at common thread in the
sudden deaths of 54 men. The common thread turned out to be:
– A Depression If they asked the multiple choice
– questions before the short
B Age
answer, the answers to the
– C Lack of exercise multiple choice might remind or
– D Poor diet cue the participant.
MCQ: recognition.
SAQ: recall.
Short Answer Question
• The article describes a study that looked for the common thread
in the deaths of 54 men. What did the common thread turn out
to be?
 Procedure
AO1: Procedure
• All participants wore headphones while they read.
They heard either silence or a university canteen.
• Reading times were recorded by the experimenters.
• To minimise recall from short-term memory,
participants were given a 2 minute break at this
point.
• The short answer test and the multiple choice tests
were given. All participants wore headphones.
 Procedure
AO3: Procedure Evaluation
• Think of 2 things the researchers did that:
– Increased ecological validity but decreased
reliability:

– Increased reliability but decreased ecological

validity:
 Results
Table to show the mean number of correct answers on the two tests
from the matched and miss-matched conditions
Silent study Noisy study
Mean Mean
Short answer test -Silent 6.7 5.4

Short answer test - Noisy 4.6 6.2

Multiple choice test – 14.3 12.7

Silent
Multiple choice test - Noisy 12.7 14.3

Highlight the matched and mismatched conditions:

 Results
AO1: Results
• Calculate the average number of correct answers in
the matched and mismatched conditions:
– Matched:

– Mismatched:
 Results
Table to show the mean reading time (in minutes) for the
matched and miss-matched conditions

Silent study Noisy study

Mean Mean
Silent test 15.0 13.8
Noisy test 11.8 14.0

• Participants spent roughly equal amounts of time

studying the material.
 Results
AO1: Results
• The reading time showed no effect on the test
performance.
• Results were significantly higher in the matched
condition compared to this mismatched condition.
• There was no overall effect of noise on performance.

• What does it mean when results are significantly

higher:
 Results
AO1: Key results summary
• Silent matched __/10 SAQ __/16 MCQ
• ______/_______ mismatched 5/10 SAQ 13/16
MCQ
 Conclusion
AO1: Conclusions
• There are context-dependent effects for newly
learned meaningful material.
• Studying and testing in the same environment leads
to enhanced performance.

• AO2:Where would it be useful to know this? How can

we apply this to the real world:
 Conclusion
AO1: Key Theory Terms
• Explain what the following mean:
– Context dependent memory:

– Memory cues:

– Recognition:

– Recall:

– Meaningful items:
 Grant Knowledge Recap
1. What previous research has been done into context dependent memory:
2. What two context did previous research compare:
3. How did matching context affect recall:
4. How did mismatched context affect recall:
5. What was the aim of Grant's research:
6. What was the research method and design:
7. What was the sampling technique:
8. How many participants:
9. 2 details about the sample:
10. What were the two IVs:
11. What meaningful material was learned:
12. What was the DV:
13. What 2 tests were used to measure recall:
14. Which conditions wore headphones:
15. Describe the noisy condition:
16. Describe the difference between matched and mismatched condition’s results
17. Conclusion of the research: