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Researched
by McKenzie H.
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The purpose of this experiment was to compare the effectiveness of written and oral stimuli on memory for seventh graders.
I became interested in this idea because I am interested in how people learn things and how the mind works.
The information gained from this experiment will benefit teachers, trainers
and students because they will then know whether to read or to orally read
the subject.
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My hypothesis was that the students would do better on the test when they read it to themselves.
I base my hypothesis on the experiences of Selah Advanced Science teacher
Ken Newkirk. He claims, "Students will do better on a test that they read
themselves."
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The constants in this study were:
1. The students
2. The test
3. Amount of time given
4. Place test is being held
5. Amount of time between test
The manipulated variable was whether or not I was reading the story to the students.
The responding variable was the amount of correct answers.
To measure the responding variable by counting the scores with an answer
key.
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QUANTITY |
ITEM DESCRIPTION |
| 20 | 7th grade male students |
| 20 | 7th grade female students |
| 1 | 6th level story |
| 20 | 6th level story (different from one above) |
| 1 |
stopwatch |
| 40 | multiple choice tests |
| 1 | answer sheet(one for each story) |
| 10 | tables |
| 40 | chairs |
| 1 | quiet place to work in |
1. Acquire 6th grade level story from reading teacher.
2. Create a list of 10 multiple choice questions based on facts in
the story.
3. Copy materials for each student.
4. Obtain parental permission for each subject.
5. Assign students randomly to one of the two test groups.
ORAL Group
1. Students will be seated (one seat apart) in a quiet
classroom.
2. Read instructions once the students are quiet
3. Students will listen to a 6th grade level story read
by the experimenter
4. Students will return to their normal day after hearing
the story
5. One hour later the students will return to the same classroom to
be tested on the content of the story with a multiple choice test
6. Students give the test to the experimenter when finished and return
to class
7. Experimenter checks answers using answer key
8. Record data
WRITTEN Group
1. Students will be seated (one seat apart) in a quiet classroom.
2. Read instruction once the students are quiet
3. Students will read silently a 6th grade level story
4. Students will return to their normal day after reading the story
5. One hour later the students will return to the same classroom to
be tested on the content of the story with a multiple choice test
6. Students give the test to the experimenter when finished and return
to class
7. Experimenter checks answers using answer key
8. Record data.
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The original purpose of this experiment was to compare the effectiveness of written and oral stimuli on memory for males and females.
The results of the experiment were Group A and Group B had the same test scores, 9.1. The total test score was out of 10 on both of the tests.
See
the table and graph.
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My hypothesis was that the students would do better on the test when they read it to themselves.
The results indicate that my hypothesis should be rejected because test group A and group B got the same scores on both of the stories.
Because of the results of this experiment, I wonder if I conducted a similar experiment with second graders would the results be the same.
If I were to conduct this project again I would test more students and
make sure they were at the same level of academics. I would also
use a longer story and more difficult test because way too many people
got a perfect score or at least minus one.
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Introduction Memory is the basis for learning. If it weren’t for memory all of the people in the world would have to learn everything over again and again. This means you would never really learn anything. Memory All of the memory is stored in parts of the brain called the hippocampus and thalamus. Memory has three different levels. These include Sensory memory, Working memory (also know as Short-term) and Long-term memory. Sensory memory is the ability to remember "snapshot" sights and sounds. Working memory, also know as Short-term, is the ability to remember something from an hour to week ago. Long-term memory is the ability to remember something from a month or maybe even years prior to the time. There are a lot of other types of memory that are very effective in many people's lives. Visual memory is what most people in the world have. Photographic memory is the ability to take a picture in your mind, then remember what it looked like. It almost seems like reading a book in your mind. This type of memory is very rare, especially in adults. Only about 5% of children have photographic memory. Some other types of memory are motor skill and factual.
Motor skills are things like pushing along while riding a skateboard or
riding a bike. Factual memory is the ability to remember phone numbers
or the plot of a book.
How Far Can You Remember? It is said that the average mind can store up to about seven new items, plus or minus two items. This means that you will start to forget after encountering seven new items at once. Forgetting Forgetting takes place when some new information is mixed with old information, or visa-versa, making it possible to forget things. An example would be a best friend that moves away and gives you his/her new phone number on a piece of paper. If you look at the new number once or twice you will start to remember it. Then when you go to call your best friend you dial his/her old phone number. This shows that you forgot to dial her new phone number. Forgetting as explained in Encarta is "the loss of the ability to retrieve information." In a study college students were asked what their high school grades were. The students answered most of the grades right except for those that were exceptionally low. This study is another example of forgetting. Repression is another way to forget. Repression is the ability to forget unpleasant or bad things. Things such as a trauma or horrible thing that has happened. Hearing Hearing, also a very vital sense. The organ called the ear hears sound waves that are produced by all sorts of things that vibrate. This process is called audition. People hear from the vibration of the object. Deafness Deafness is the inability to hear. There are about twenty million people in the United States that have this hearing disability. Two million out of the twenty million have a hearing impairment so bad that the high technology (such as hearing aids) of today can't help them. Sound Sound is what stimulates one of the five main senses, hearing. People are able to hear things when the vibration noise is fifteen to twenty thousand hertz. Hertz is the frequency unit that equals one cycle per second. Vision Vision is also one of the main senses. It helps people see things such as colors, sizes, etc. The process of vision starts when light rays bounce off of the objects. The light rays that are reflected then go to the eye. They are formed into electrical signals in the retina of the eye. These electrical signals go to the visual part of the brain. Millions of these happen every second. SUMMARY Memory is a very important process of the brain. It is stored
in the hippocampus and thalamus. There are three different levels
of memory: Sensory memory, Working memory and Long-term memory. Forgetting
is also important. It helps get rid of old information that you no longer
need. Repression is also important because it helps you forget of
bad things that have happened to you. Hearing helps you in everything
you do every day. Vision is also one of the five main senses. It
helps people see things.
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Baddely, Alan."Memory," Science and Technology vol. 10, 674-675 Cardoso, Silvia H Ph.D. "Types of Memory," (Online) Available at http://www.epub.org.br/cn/nol/memo/memory.htm Created 1997 Gregg, Daphna. Memory, (Online) Available at http://ericir.syr.edu/Projects/Newton/11/memory.html Loftus, Elizabeth F. "Memory," World Book Encyclopedia, 1999 Vol. 13, pg. 392-294 1991 North, Kevin. Memory, (Online) Available at http://www.premiumhealth.com/memory March 1994 Restak, Richard. "Brain," World Book Encyclopedia, Vol. 2, pg. 561-565
1991
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