1
Candidate Number:
May 2022
Date of Submission: 30/09/2021
Word Count: 2200
Psychology HL Internal Assessment
An experiment to investigate the impact of levels of processing on the recall of a list of words
, 2
Contents
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………..….. 3
Exploration ……………………………………………………………………………………..... 5
Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………..….....8
Evaluation …………………………………………………………………………………….... 10
References …………………………………………………………………………………….... 13
Appendices
Appendix 1. (Informed Consent Form) ………………………………….…………….. 14
Appendix 2. (Standardized Instructions) ………………………………….…………….15
Appendix 3. (Numbered Answer Sheet)…..…………………………………..…............16
Appendix 4. (List of 40 adjectives)…………..…………………………….……...….... 17
Appendix 5. (Google Form Response)...…………….…………………………………. 18
Appendix 6. (Debriefing Notes) ..…………………………………………….……....... 18
Appendix 7. (Procedure).……………………………………………...............................19
Appendix 8. (Raw and Processed Data).…………………………………………….......20
Appendix 9. (Inferential Statistics) …………..……………………………………........ 21
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Introduction
Memory is the complex cognitive process responsible for encoding, storing and retrieving
information from the brain. Craik and Lockhart (1972) developed the levels of processing
theory which states that recall from memory is dependent on the level at which information is
processed and the deeper information is processed, the longer it will last in the memory and the
easier it will be to recall (McLeod, 2007). The theory explains that information can be processed
on a shallow level, through structural processing (encoding the physical appearance of
something) as well as phonemic processing (encoding sound) or information can be processed
deeply, through semantic processing (encoding the meaning of a word, relating it to similar
things or linking it to previous knowledge). Craik and Lockhart argued that recall ability is
independent of rehearsal and instead, information is transferred from short term memory
(STM) to long term memory (LTM) based on the level at which it is processed. Deeper levels
of processing, such as self-reference processing, results in the creation of self-schemas which
transfers information from STM to LTM.
The study being replicated in the investigation was the Rogers, Kuiper and Kirker (1977)
study of self-referential encoding. The aim of the study was to investigate the extent to which the
self is implicated in processing personal information (Rogers, 1977). 59 undergraduate students
were presented with adjectives in two experiments and were asked to complete one of four
different tasks which forced different levels of processing: structural, phonemic, semantic or
self-reference. The results demonstrated that the adjectives within the self-reference task were
Candidate Number:
May 2022
Date of Submission: 30/09/2021
Word Count: 2200
Psychology HL Internal Assessment
An experiment to investigate the impact of levels of processing on the recall of a list of words
, 2
Contents
Introduction …………………………………………………………………………………..….. 3
Exploration ……………………………………………………………………………………..... 5
Analysis……………………………………………………………………………………..….....8
Evaluation …………………………………………………………………………………….... 10
References …………………………………………………………………………………….... 13
Appendices
Appendix 1. (Informed Consent Form) ………………………………….…………….. 14
Appendix 2. (Standardized Instructions) ………………………………….…………….15
Appendix 3. (Numbered Answer Sheet)…..…………………………………..…............16
Appendix 4. (List of 40 adjectives)…………..…………………………….……...….... 17
Appendix 5. (Google Form Response)...…………….…………………………………. 18
Appendix 6. (Debriefing Notes) ..…………………………………………….……....... 18
Appendix 7. (Procedure).……………………………………………...............................19
Appendix 8. (Raw and Processed Data).…………………………………………….......20
Appendix 9. (Inferential Statistics) …………..……………………………………........ 21
, 3
Introduction
Memory is the complex cognitive process responsible for encoding, storing and retrieving
information from the brain. Craik and Lockhart (1972) developed the levels of processing
theory which states that recall from memory is dependent on the level at which information is
processed and the deeper information is processed, the longer it will last in the memory and the
easier it will be to recall (McLeod, 2007). The theory explains that information can be processed
on a shallow level, through structural processing (encoding the physical appearance of
something) as well as phonemic processing (encoding sound) or information can be processed
deeply, through semantic processing (encoding the meaning of a word, relating it to similar
things or linking it to previous knowledge). Craik and Lockhart argued that recall ability is
independent of rehearsal and instead, information is transferred from short term memory
(STM) to long term memory (LTM) based on the level at which it is processed. Deeper levels
of processing, such as self-reference processing, results in the creation of self-schemas which
transfers information from STM to LTM.
The study being replicated in the investigation was the Rogers, Kuiper and Kirker (1977)
study of self-referential encoding. The aim of the study was to investigate the extent to which the
self is implicated in processing personal information (Rogers, 1977). 59 undergraduate students
were presented with adjectives in two experiments and were asked to complete one of four
different tasks which forced different levels of processing: structural, phonemic, semantic or
self-reference. The results demonstrated that the adjectives within the self-reference task were
