The Effect of Gender on Short-Term Recall
The Experimenter

Researched by Liz B.
2004-05



PURPOSE

The purpose of this experiment was to compare the memory of 6th grade girls and boys when recalling a list of words.

I became interested in this idea when my math teacher said that the girls were getting better scores than the boys in our math vocabulary tests. I wanted to find out if, given the same amount of time to study the words, the results would be the same.

The information gained from this experiment could help elementary teachers teach vocabulary skills easier to younger students.


HYPOTHESIS

My hypothesis was that sixth grade girls would have better recall results than that of the boys.

I based my hypothesis on my observation of the vocabulary test results that have been given in my math class as well as my language classes during the sixth grade.

EXPERIMENT DESIGN

The constants in this study were:
- The amount of students being tested
- The amount of words to memorize
- The order of the words in the list
- The time between when the words were given and the recall test
- The approximate age of the students
- The place where the test was given
- The distance between the students during the test
- The manner students responded in writing

The manipulated variable was the gender of the students who were tested.

The responding variable was the average number of words each gender got correct.

To measure the responding variable I counted the number of correct answers on each test and found the average for each gender. 


MATERIALS
 
QUANTITY ITEM DESCRIPTION
34 quiz sheets
60 parent consent forms
16 desks
16
pencils
1 stopwatch
1 list of 20 words on overhead transparency
1 overhead projector


PROCEDURES

1. Create and hand out parent permission slips
2. Collect signed permission slips
3. Assign students into A and B groups randomly making sure that there is the same number of boys in A as in B. Do the same with the girls.
4. Prepare test
a. Create list with 20 words appropriate for 6th graders
b. Make overhead transparency of the list with 20 words
c. Create recall response sheet
d. Make copies of recall response sheet for all subjects
5. Prepare room for test
a. Separate desks 100 cm apart to avoid cheating
b. Bring group A into the testing room
6. Read instructions and answer any questions. Tell them they can quit at any time.
7. On overhead show transparency of the 20 words to memorize. With stopwatch give the           group 2 minutes to study the list of words
8. Turn off overhead and hand out response sheets and pencils
a. Tell students to write their name on top of the test and that they will have 5 minutes to write as many words as they can recall.
b. Time students with stop watch for 5 minutes
9. After 5 minutes, end the test and collect papers
10. Have students return to their class
11. Repeat steps 5-10 for group B
12. Correct the tests using the original list of words as a key.
13. Find the average answers correct for each gender
 

RESULTS

The original purpose of this experiment was to compare the memory of 6th grade girls and boys when recalling a list of 20 words.


The results of the experiment were that the females had a better average score but the difference was very small.  The twenty-one girls had an average of 42.9% correct while the twelve boys had an average of 39.6%.

Graphs/LizB.pdf

CONCLUSION

My hypothesis was that sixth grade girls would have a better score average than that of sixth grade boys when given a recall test.

The results indicate that this hypothesis should be rejected because although girls did have a slightly higher average the difference was too small for me to believe that gender affected the short-term recall results.

Because of the results of this experiment I wonder if the student’s distance from the words affected their ability to remember the words.

If I were to conduct this project again I would gather more subjects and make sure that all of the students could comprehend English. I would also try to even the number of boys to girls so the results were more accurate. I would stick to my schedule and make sure everyone started at the same time.
 
RESEARCH REPORT


Introduction

Memory is important to our survival as a species. If we didn’t have memory our life would be a continued series of unconnected moments, with each one being new and unfamiliar. Memory is also referred to as learning because both describe the same process.

Brain

The brain is an important part of the nervous system. The brain controls the body, emotions, thought and memory. Although the brain controls all bodily functions certain areas are critical for memory itself to function correctly. Short-term memory—the ability to retain a limited amount of information for up to an hour—is found deep in the temporal lobe. Long-term memory comes from exchanges between the medial temporal lobe and the mid brain.

Memory

Memory is a process of encoding and recoding information. Encoding brings information into the memory system but doesn’t copy directly from outside the brain. Recoding is the process of switching information from one form to another so that the memory is easier to find when needed and can be improved by regular usage. Events encoded into the short-term memory are forgotten quickly usually lasting for less than an hour, while events in long-term memory can last for many years even up to a entire lifetime, making it possible to recall information and recognize people and places over long periods of time.
There are three basic types of memory: short-term/working, sensory, and long-term memory.

Short-term memory

Short-term memory is the most likely to be damaged by illnesses or drugs and is forgotten unless used after immediate encoding. It has a basic limitation and can only hold a certain amount of information at once. The average human has a basic limitation of seven thoughts at one time when not including subconscious tasks needed to keep the body alive. Memory is also not completely connected. Being able to hold an image is independent to being able to remember verbal and visual information.

Long-term memory

Long-term memory is the least affected by illnesses and drugs and can last an entire lifetime. It is never full and can often be altered with new interpretation. Long-term memory can be accessed as something close to instinct if reused often.
Long-term has three divisions: episodic memory, semantic memory, and procedural memory. Episodic memory refers to memories of specific episodes in a person’s life and is often what people refer to as memory. Semantic memory is a general knowledge of things and any facts that a person knows. Both episodic memory and semantic memory need conscious effort to recall and use. Procedural memory is the only division that typically doesn’t need conscious effort to use and refers to any skills that a human has.  

Learning

It is common to think of learning as something that takes place in school, but much of human learning occurs outside of class. People learn throughout their lives. Learning refers to the ability to retrieve information that has been stored in the long-term memory and is closely related to memory. Learning is also done by observation. Some children do not display what they had learned unless they expect a reward for doing so. The term latent learning describes cases in which a person learns a new behavior but doesn’t do it until there is the possibility of obtaining a reward.  

Summary

Learning and memory are closely related and describe similar processes. Both learning and
memory are needed for humans to live. Short-term memory is temporary but needed to create long- term memories and experiences.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

De Bono, Edward. “Memory Motivation” Microsoft Encarta. 2005 edition. CD-ROM.

Loftus, Elizabeth F. “ Memory” The World Book Encyclopedia. 1998.

Mettler, Frederick A. “Brain” Microsoft Encarta.2005 edition. CD-ROM.

Roediger, Henry L. "Memory.” Microsoft Encarta. 2005 edition. CD-ROM.

Roth, Philip. “Memory and Motivation.” Microsoft Encarta. 2005 edition. CD-ROM.

Treays, Rebecca. Understanding Your Brain. London: Usborne, 1995 pp. 2-24
 


 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank the following people for helping make my project possible:
  •  My dad for getting the things that I needed.
  •  Mr. Newkirk for showing me what to do, taking pictures and editing my rough drafts.
  •  Mrs. Helms for helping me find information and helping me with my display board.
  •  Mrs. Snodgrass, Mr.Olliver, and Mrs. Kruger for allowing me to take their students out of class in order to complete my experiment.
  •  Cayley for going to the classes with me to hand out permission forms and helping me practice my instructions.
  •  I would like to thank the students who participated in my experiment and helped me collect data.

Top of page

Menu of 2004-2005 Science Projects

Back to the Selah Homepage

This page is under construction and has not yet been approved
by Selah School District for distribution via the Internet