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SHORT TERM MEMORY

Short Term Memory as a Function of Auditory and Visual Presentation of Digits.

Submitted to
Fariea Bakul
Assistant Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Dhaka

Submitted by
Group no – 5
Jannatul Sadia Sharnaly - 23
MD. Mobarak Islam - 25
Sumana Sultana Farah - 26
Mahmud Hasan Maruf - 28
Barsha Akter Seen - 29
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SHORT TERM MEMORY
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Introduction

According to Crider, "Memory is the ability to store information so that it can be used

at a later time. Placing the information into memory is called encoding. We can also store it

and retrieve the information. There are three types of memory.

1. Sensory memory

2. Short-term memory

3. Long term memory

Short-term memory, a temporary system that has the capacity to hold only the limited

number of items being worked with at a particular time. For this reason, short term memory is

sometimes called "Working memory (Baddeley, 1989). Short-term memory refers to primary

or active memory. It is the part of memory which stores limited amount of information for a

limited amount of time (for about 15, 20 seconds). Short term memory refers to systems

which provide retention of limited amounts of material for a limited time period.

Memory Span tasks, involve presenting a subject with increasingly long lists of digits

and noting the point where the subject is no longer able to repeat the digits in order without

error. According to the famous influential article written by Psychologist George Miller, title

"The magical Number of Seven Plus or Minus Two" the average capacity of storing

information between five and nine elements in short term memory. The suggestion seemed to

date back to similar estimation offered by the 19th century researcher Wunft.

A chunk is any piece of information that is represented as a single, meaning full item.

Chunking is a process that allows an individual to expand his short-term memory. It's a way
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of dealing with on remembering information by separating it into small groups or chunks: In

the study, a "chunking" strategy to help them remember the items.

Auditory Memory Span is a narrow ability of working memory and refers to the

ability to hold auditory information in immediate formal (Carroll, 1993; Horn, 1991). Also

called auditory span. The Number of Simple items, such as words or numbers, that can be

repeated in the same order by a person, after hearing the series once.

Digit Span is a standard measure of short memory that is the number of digits a person

can absorb and recall in correct serial order after hearing.

Visual memory occurs over a broad time range spanning from eye movements to years

in order to visuality navigate to previously visited location.

Historical Background

Hermann, Ebbinghaus (24th January 1850 - 26. February 1909) was a German

psychologist who pioneered the experimental study of memory. In 1885, Hermann became

the first psychologist to systematically study learning and memory by carrying out a long and

exhausting experiment by himself. He started memorizing a list of words and the testing how

many he could recall. He found that he could recall meaning materials. He also came up with

two methods of studying. They are over learning and spacing effect. He developed a serial

position effect, the tendency of a person to recall the first and last items in a serial best and

middle items worst. He also discovered the forgetting curve. It hypothesized the memory

decline in time.

Miller (1956) presented the idea that short term memory could only hold 5-9 chunks
of information, where a chunk is any meaningful unit. A Chunk to refer to digits, words, or
people faces.
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SHORT TERM MEMORY

In 1960, George Sperling performed experiments designed to demonstrate the

existence of visual Sensory memory. In his experiment he showed a series of letters in a

computer screen to the participants for a fraction of a second but the subjects were able to

recognize at least some of the letters. Few were able to identify more than four or five letters.

Objective to the Study

The objective of the experiment was to find out short term memory of digits as an

activity of auditory and visual presentation.

Rationale

There are many theoretical and practical importance of this experiment. From this

experiment we can know in case people remember the number or texts or simple items by

hearing or seeing the things. As digit span task is used to measure the working of short-term

memory of storing the number capacity. It can be of great importance in assessing attention,

auditory processing and manipulation.

From this type of experiment, we can also get to know about the differences of each

and every person by measuring the memory capacity. More over this assessment will be of

great advantage while improving many educational functions or even regular activities of our

daily life.

Hypothesis

The hypothesis of the study was that the memory span will be same for both auditory

mode and for the visual mode.

Variables
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The independent variable were the auditory and visual stimuli and the dependent

variable was correct response of stimuli.

Method

Participants

For the experiment, an adult person was selected as a participant. He was 21 years old

male. His sensory organs, perceptual and intellectual abilities were normal. He was fluent in

both English and Bengali language.

Materials

The materials needed for the study are given below.

A computer presentation of series of numbers. The presentation consists of a series

of numbers ranging from five digits to twelve digits. There are free such presentation of

numbers and each time the numbers increase in ascending order from five to twelve.

Blindfold. This was used to refrain the participants from any visual during the

auditory phase of the experiment.

Data Sheet. This list acts as a checklist to note the number of correct recalls during,

the auditory and visual presentation of digits.

Headphones. It was used to give the participant the auditory stimuli of the digits.
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A text-to-speech software. This software was used to input the numbers for it to

convert it to speech for the participant to hear through the headphones provided.

Design and Procedure

At first, the participant was called by the permission of invigilator. He was told to sit to

the left of the experimenter. He was given the instruction paper to read about the task.

Instruction was also given verbally after reading the paper instruction. He was asked if he

could have anything to ask, when he was sure that he understood the task, and ready to start,

the experiment started.

Figure 1. Design of the study.

Study Information Sheet

Visual Presentation of Stimuli

↓

Auditory Presentation of Stimuli

Comments

The study had two divisions. One was visual part and the other was auditory part. In

the visual part the participant was shown a chart of digits. The digits were increasing

gradually (i.e, the first number begins with 5 digits, the second number was of 6 digits and so

on, until the last number was of 12 digits). He was shown one number at a time and was

asked to memorize it and to recall the number as soon as it disappeared. Every corrected
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recall was ticked on the data sheet. Thus, we completed the first list and continued the

procedure for another 2 lists of the same type but with different numbers.

In the second part means, in auditory part, the same number list was given. The

numbers were ordered in the same way as the visual method. But this time we played the

numbers through the headphone with the help of a computer software instead of showing it.

He heard the digits and was asked to recall them immediately. We used three lists here as

well.

Once he was done with all the lists, his task finished. He was asked to write down

his comments and we thanked him for his cooperation.

Data Processing and Statistical Analysis

In this experiment, the use of descriptive statistics was done to process the data

obtained. In every mode of presentation of data, the base memory was formed on the basis of

correct recalls of the same number of digits. Then, an additional memory span was formed by

sum up the number of correct recall in the following row of the formed base memory. The

sum of the so base memory and the additional memory made the total memory

span at each mode.

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Results

The following table shows the result obtained in the experiment,

Table 1

Result table of total memory span at visual and auditory mode.

Sense modality Base memory Additional memory Memory span

Visual 7 0 7

Auditory 5 4 6.33

From the table, we can see that the participant failed to recall the fifth visual mode

which contained 8 digits. So, the basal memory span at visual mode was 7 digits. Additional

memory span was 0. So, total memory span at visual mode was 7. The basal memory span at

auditory mode was 5 digits. The additional memory span was 4. So total memory span at

auditory mode was 6.33. These information has been presented in a graph and attached

to the appendix.

Discussion

The problem of the study was to find out the short-term memory of digits as a

function of auditory and visual presentation. The null hypothesis was that memory span will

be same in both auditory mode and visual mode. But our result shows that the span is not

same in both mode. The memory span was higher in visual mode in oppose of auditory mode.

So, our result does not confirm Our hypothesis.

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As the participant was not psychology student, she didn't know much about the

study. More over the practical was conducted in a computer lab. So, there were many other

member which drives her attention. The headphones were not so advanced that could restrain

all Sounds from outside. As there were some other persons, she grew nervous. So, it can be

said that with the failure to correctly recall few digits, she ended up not paying much

attention to the following ones which in her failure to complete the task to the of her efforts.

Moreover, the memory span in visual mode was higher than the auditory mode.

Maybe, the extraneous variables impact less than in auditory mode. And the participant was

more attentive in visual mode than the auditory mode.

References

Atkinson, R.C. & Shiffrin, R.M (1968) Human Memory: A proposed system and its control

Processes. In K.W spencer & J.K. Spence (Eds). Psychology of learning and

Motivation: Advances in research and theory. Vol. 2, New York: Academic Press.

Atkinson, R.C & Shiffrin, R.M (1971) The control of short term memory. Scientific

American, 222, 82-90.

Atshcraft, M.A (1998) Fundamentals of cognition. New York: Addison Wesley Educational

Publishers Inc.
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Broadbent, D.E. (1958). Perception and Communication. London Programs.

Bryden, M.P. (1971) Attentional strategies and short term memory in dichotic listening.

Cognitive Psychology Vol. 2, Issue 1, 99-116

Crowder, R.G (1976) Principles of learning and memory. Hillsdale New Jersey: Lawrence

Elbum Ass.

Frick, R.W (1984) Using both auditory and visual short term store to increase digit span.

Memory and cognition, 12, 507-514.

Frick, R.W (1985) Testing visual short term memory: Simultaneous versus sequential

Presentations. Memory and Cognition, 13, (4), 346-356

Appendix
The following document's have been attached to the appendix of this report.
Study Information Sheet
Data Sheet
Comments of the Participant
Graphical Representation of the Data
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SHORT TERM MEMORY

Figure 2. Graphical Representation of Short Term Memory as a Function of Visual Auditory

Presentation of Data.