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Ia 3
Ia 3
For each of the studies below, you will find a quick description,
the background theory that is most appropriate to discuss in your
introduction and evaluation, and the citation of the original study
with a link to the original study if available.
A big thank you to Anna Yukutenok for her assistance with this
page.
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Positively wonderful
Testing to see if negative words are more likely to be recalled than neutral words.
Background theory: the role of arousal in memory, arousal-biased competition (ABC) theory
Kensinger, E. A., & Corkin, S. (2003). Memory Enhancement for emotional words: Are emotional
words more vividly remembered than neutral words? Memory & Cognition, 31(8), 1169–1180.
https://doi.org/10.3758/bf03195800
Picture this!
Visuospatial sketchpad vs phonological loop: Is it easier to recall a list of pictures or a list of words?
Hasher, L., Riebman, B., & Wren, F. (1976). Imagery and the retention free recall learning. Journal of
Experimental Psychology: Human Learning & Memory, 2(2), 172–181. https://doi.org/10.1037/0278-
7393.2.2.172
Iconic vs echoic memory: Can we recall words more easily when we hear them or see them?
Hilton, E.S. (2001). Differences in visual and auditory short-term memory. IU South Bend
Undergraduate Research Journal, 4, 47-50.
Can we recall words better when they are presented with a photo?
Mills, K. L., & McMullan, H. K. (2004). A study of short-term memory recall of pictures, words, and
pictures and words presented together. http://webclearinghouse.net/volume/7/MILLS-
AStudyofSh.php.
Are we more interested in negative than in positive news coverage? Will people be able to recall
information from titles that are negative articles more than positive titles? Will participants choose to read
articles that are more negative or more positive? Either approach is appropriate.
Trussler, M., & Soroka, S. (2014). Consumer demand for cynical and negative news frames. The
International Journal of Press/Politics, 19(3), 360-379. doi:10.1177/1940161214524832
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Walker, D., & Vul, E. (2013). Hierarchical encoding makes individuals in a group seem more
attractive. Psychological Science, 25(1), 230-235. doi:10.1177/0956797613497969
Does the use of emoticons influence how we perceive the likability of the sender?
Byron, K., & Baldridge, D. C. (2007). Email recipients' impressions of senders' likability: The interactive
effect of nonverbal cues and recipients' personality. Journal of Business Communication, 44(2), 137-160.
doi:10.1177/0021943606297902
Does having a less attractive person for comparison make someone more attractive on a dating app?
Background theory: Dual Processing Model, Decoy effect - aka asymmetric dominance effect
Ariely, D. (2009). Predictably irrational: The hidden forces that shape our decisions (pp. 10-14). New York:
Harper Perennial.
Relevant link
Does reading something in difficult to read font make it appear to be more difficult?
Background theory: Cognitive load, processing fluency, Dual processing model; illusory correlation
Song, H., & Schwarz, N. (2008). If it’s hard to read, it’s hard to do: Processing fluency affects effort
prediction and motivation. Psychological Science, 19, 986-988.
Does the word-length effect happen when words are of random lengths? The original researchers argue
that when words are selected randomly, irrespective of their length, long words are recalled better than
short ones, in a seeming contradiction to classical word length effect in both serial and free recall.
Katkov, M., Romani, S., & Tsodyks, M. (2014). Word length effect in free recall of randomly assembled
word lists. Frontiers in Computational Neuroscience, 8. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncom.2014.00129
Snap!
Recall is worse when using a camera than when simply looking at a series of objects
Henkel, L. A. (2013). Point-and-shoot memories: The Influence of Taking Photos on Memory for a
Museum Tour. Psychological Science, 25(2), 396-402. doi:10.1177/0956797613504438
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