Practicum Report on Serial Reproduction

Serial reproduction

Introduction
Memory:
Memory is the process of maintaining information over time. It is the term given to
the structures and processes involved in the storage and subsequent retrieval of information.
The three important aspects of memory are encoding, storage and retrieval.

Serial reproduction:

Serial reproduction refers to a process in which the first in a series of individuals receives a
message which he is required later to reproduce. The first individual’s reproduction becomes
the message which the next person in the series receives, his reproduction in turn is the
message which the third receives, and so on.

Factors affecting serial reproduction:

1. Leveling (simplification)
2. Sharpening (emphasis on selected details)
3. Assimilation (absorbing, incorporating)
4. Inaccuracy (largely in the form of distortion and deletion)

Experiment

Problem:

To observe how the process of memory changes when serial reproduction is done and how
people change information when recalling it.

Hypothesis:

The subjects cannot reproduce the exact replica of what they hear, what they reproduce will
be reconstructed in memory.

Independent Variables:

 The provided story.

Dependent Variables:
  Reconstruction of the story given by subject.

Material and Apparatus:

 Story, stop watch, voice recorder, paper.

Appendix:

Particulars of subject:

S.No Name Age Gender Qualifications

1 Rameen Ahmed 16 Female High school
2 Marium Ahmed 22 Female Undergraduate
3 Muneeza Farooq 43 Female Postgraduate
4 Manahil Noor 21 Female Undergraduate

Procedure

Four subjects were selected by the experimenter. The chosen story was read to the first
subject by the experimenter and they had to reproduce the story to the second subject and so
on till the 4th subject. The story must include the items, individual’s characters etc. Proper
instructions were given to each subject.

Instructions to the subject

The following instructions will be given by the experimenter to the subject

“there is a story that I am going to read out to you. I want you to listen carefully as you will
be asked to reproduce what you have heard to the next subject as accurately as possible as it
is not allowed to repeat the story again”.

After the initial eye witness description has been given the second subject is called in and
following instructions were given,

“the first subject has heard the story and now she is going to reproduce it to you. I want you
to listen carefully as no repetition will be made and then you will be asked reproduce what
you have heard to the next subject. Please do so clearly and loud enough for the recordings
to be made.”

These instructions will now be used for all other subjects in the group.

The first subject then gives his reproduction of what he has heard and left the room so that
other subjects will not get any facial clues. Then the same process continues for every
subject.

The whole process is recorded. To re-listen to the subject verbatim after that it is written
down on the paper to marks errors carefully.

Then accordingly questions are formed and one by one each subject is called in a panel room
for interrogation of their verbatim and to note down the sharpening, leveling and assimilation
errors carefully.

Verbatim

Subject 1:

It was a hot summer day when a lion and a bore saw a water body to drink water. They
started arguing about who should go first and drink. After a while when they were tired and
breathless, they saw a vulture above their head. Who was waiting for them to fall down and
have a feast. So the lion and the bore decided to team up and to fight against the vulture.

Subject 2:

It was a hot summer day and lion and bore were there. Both of them were moving towards a
body of water to drink water. They both started fighting on who will get the first turn to drink
water. Above them there were vultures in the sky, who were looking at them to eat them. So
the bore and the lion worked together, teamed up together in order to defeat them. Vultures
eventually moved away.

Subject 3:

It was a hot summer day. The lion and the bore were thirsty. They were looking for water.
They were going to have some water but there were vultures in the sky looking for them so
the bore and lion worked together to defeat them.

Subject 4:

It was a hot summer day. The lion and the bore were thirsty. They wanted to look for some
water so they were together in looking for the water but there were vultures in the sky and
they paired together to fight these vultures.

Results

Subject 1:

Actual item Item reproduced Item distorted Item missed

It was a hot summer It was a hot summer  Reached a  The word
day. A lion and a day when a lion and small water fighting was
boar reach a small a bore saw a water body was missed
water body for a body to drink water. changed to  be friends
drink. They begin They started arguing ‘saw a water than fight
arguing and fighting about who should go body to drink and become
about who should first and drink. After water’. food for
drink first. After a a while when they  Stop for vultures.
while, they are tired were tired and breath was They drink
and stop for breath, breathless, they saw changed to the water
when they notice a vulture above their ‘they were together and
vultures above. Soon head. Who was tired and go their ways
they realize that the waiting for them to breathless’. after was
vultures are waiting fall down and have a  Instead of missing.
for one or both of feast. So the lion and vultures,  Moral of the
them to fall, to feast the bore decided to singular form story.
on them. The lion team up and to fight vulture was
and bore then decide against the vulture. used.
that it was best to  the vultures
make up and be are waiting
friends than fight for one or
and become food for both of them
vultures. They drink to fall, to
the water together feast on them
and go their ways was changed
after. to ‘who was
Moral: those who waiting for
strive are often them to fall
watched by others to down and
take advantage of have a feast’.
their defeat  Make up was
changed to
‘team up’.

Subject 2:

Actual item Item reproduced Item distorted Item missed

It was a hot summer It was a hot  Saw a water  After a
day when a lion and summer day and body was while when
a bore saw a water lion and bore were changed to they were
body to drink water. there. Both of ‘both of them tired and
They started arguing them were moving were moving breathless
about who should go towards a body of towards a body was missed.
first and drink. After water to drink of water’.  Vultures
a while when they water. They both  Arguing was above their
were tired and started fighting on changed to head.
breathless, they saw who will get the ‘fighting’.
a vulture above their first turn to drink  Plural form of
head. Who was water. Above them vultures used
waiting for them to there were vultures instead of
fall down and have a in the sky, who singular form.
feast. So the lion and were looking at  Who was
the bore decided to them to eat them. waiting for
team up and to fight So the bore and them to fall
against the vulture. the lion worked down and have
together, teamed a feast was
up together in changed to
order to defeat ‘who were
them. Vultures looking at them
eventually moved to eat them’.
away.  fight against the
vulture was
changed to
‘defeat them.
Vultures
eventually
moved away’.

Subject 3:

Actual item Item reproduced Item distorted Item missed

It was a hot summer It was a hot  The lion and  Water body
day and lion and summer day. The the bore was  They both
bore were there. lion and the bore change to ‘The started
Both of them were were thirsty. They lion and the fighting on
moving towards a were looking for bore were who will get
body of water to water. They were thirsty’. the first turn
drink water. They going to have  Above them to drink
both started fighting some water but the there were water.
on who will get the vultures in the sky vultures in the  vultures in
first turn to drink looking for them sky was the sky, who
water. Above them so the bore and changed to ‘but were looking
there were vultures lion worked the vultures in at them to eat
in the sky, who were together to defeat the sky looking them.
looking at them to them. for them’.  Teamed up
eat them. So the bore together.
and the lion worked  Vultures
together, teamed up eventually
together in order to moved away.
defeat them.
Vultures eventually
moved away.

Subject 4:

Actual item Item reproduced Item distorted Item missed

It was a hot summer It was a hot  They were going  vultures in
day. The lion and the summer day. The to have some the sky
bore were thirsty. lion and the bore water was were
They were looking were thirsty. They changed to ‘they looking for
for water. They were wanted to look for were together in them was
going to have some some water so looking for the missing.
water but the they were together water’.
vultures in the sky in looking for the  so the bore and
were looking for water but there lion worked
them so the bore and were vultures in together to
lion worked together the sky and they defeat them was
to defeat them. paired together to changed to ‘they
fight these vultures paired together
to fight these
vultures’.

Discussion:

The hypothesis was proved and the subjects could not produce the exact replica of what they
were narrated. In Bartlett’s schema study, schema is “an active organization of past
reactions, or of past experiences, which must always be supposed to be operating in any well-
adapted organic response.” That is, certain regular responses and behaviors happen because
they can be related to past experiences that have been serially organized and made sense of
and operate in a bigger picture
In repeated reproduction, when people removed or changed the interesting parts of the tale,
they were doing so to make it fit into an existing schema they were familiar with. Participants
were making an effort to change the story in order for it to make better sense, according to
their standards. In the serial reproduction study, Bartlett found that the recollected versions of
the story were also quickly adapted to fit more conventional forms or a known schema.

It can also be related to level of processing theory suggested by Craik and Lokhart (1972).
According to this theory, there is only one kind of memory, and the ability to remember
depends upon the depth of information processing.

If the information is processed in a superficial and shallow level, the forgetting will be more,
and on the other hand, if the information is processed deeply, it will remain in memory for
long time and helps us to remember when needed.

Introspective report

Common questions asked from the subject:

1. Was the description interesting?

2. What was your main focus?
3. Did order effect your performance?
4. How were you feeling?

Subject 1:

Being the first participant I was very nervous. I didn’t know what to expect and was generally
confused even though clear instructions were provided. Though, the study was very easy but
the story itself was very boring. Hence, I think that’s what played the part in losing my focus.

But I tried to focus as much as possible, mainly on properly listening and understanding it as
much as possible so that I could reproduce it accurately.

Cross examination questions

You forgot to add in the moral of the story and changed the sequence a lot more, was there
any specific reasons for that?

I think my nerves got the best of me, so that’s why I forgot and mixed a lot of details.

Subject 2:
I was pretty confident and relaxed throughout the process, and excited to perform the
experiment. My main focus was to absorb the story, listen carefully to the details so that I
could reciprocate it wisely.

Cross examination questions

You missed out quite some information, why is that so?

I think the order of the experiment was something that made me forget some stuff. Since, the
subject 1 was very nervous while dictating the story, hence that made me forget some stuff. If
possible, I would have gone first and done better job in explaining the story.

Subject 3:

The experiment itself was quite interesting but the story wasn’t intriguing, I think that mainly
played a role in forgetting a lot of information. I wasn’t nervous at all. I was relaxed
throughout the experiment. The order didn’t affect me much, I feel like, if I would’ve gone
first, last or middle, I would’ve done absolutely fine.

Subject 4:

I was a little tensed at the start but after listening to the story, I felt confidence that I would
narrate it quite accurately. The description of the story was okay and since it was short my
main focus was to remember as much detail as possible, without jumbling too many of the
words.

The order didn’t affect me at all since I narrated it properly without hesitation and the subject
3 did a good job in explaining it.

Conclusion

The results proved the hypothesis that the subjects cannot reproduce the exact replica of what
they hear, what they reproduce will be reconstructed in memory. This happened when the
subjects were given to replicate the story but due to many factors influencing the mind, the
end result was a very distorted and different story than the original one.

References

Reconstructive memory and schema theory. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2020. From
https://www.mheducation.ca/blog/series-classic-learning-science-reconstructive-
memory-schema-theory/
3 Main Theories That Explain How We Remember. (n.d.). Retrieved June 19, 2020. From
https://www.psychologydiscussion.net/memory/3-main-theories-that-explain-how-
we-remember/648