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The Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback on Short Term Memory Scanning

The Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback on Short Term Memory Scanning. By Gavin Walsh Purchase College. Overview. This is an experiment examining the effects of positive and negative feedback on a Sternberg-like short term memory scanning test. . Background .

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The Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback on Short Term Memory Scanning

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  1. The Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback on Short Term Memory Scanning By Gavin Walsh Purchase College

  2. Overview • This is an experiment examining the effects of positive and negative feedback on a Sternberg-like short term memory scanning test.

  3. Background • In 1966 Saul Sternberg developed a method for examining Short Term Memory • Serial exhaustive search

  4. Social and Cognitive Connections • Golightly and Byrne (1964) demonstrate application of reinforcement in social psychology • Milinski and Wedekind study the impact of memory on the “Prisoner’s Dilemma”

  5. The Experiment

  6. Participants • 33 undergraduate students • 21 female and 12 male • Age: M = 21.03, SD = 7.76 • Median Age = 19

  7. Materials • A laptop computer and the Superlab program

  8. Procedure and Design • Instructions to the test of “creativity and perception” • Creativity test given and graded • Feedback

  9. Procedure and Design Continued • Computer test of short term memory

  10. Example: • Memory Set: ABCDE (shown for 1.2 seconds) • Probe: C (shown for 2 seconds) • Answer: 1 • Feedback: Correct!

  11. Results: • Statistical analysis of this experiment involved a 3x5 mixed ANOVA with “set size” as a repeated measures variable and “feedback condition” as a between subjects variable; both measured by reaction time. • In addition a one-way ANOVA was done on the y intercept and the slope of the condition.

  12. Results Continued: • The only statistically significant result was in “set size” ( F [4] = 40.45, p < .000) • There were no statistically significant differences in the feedback condition, the slope ,or y intercept.

  13. Limitations: • Though there was no significant effect from the feedback condition this could be because the number of subjects was low.

  14. Critique & Room for Improvement in future research: • Experiment was not double blind • Time of day variation • Subjects waiting • Hand placement

  15. References: • Golightly, C., Byrne, D. (1964). Attitude Statements as Positive and Negative Reinforcers. Science, 146, 798-799. • Milinski, M., Wedkind, C. (1998). Working Memory Constrains Human Cooperation in the Prisoner’s Dilemma. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 95, 13755-13758 • Sternberg, S. (1966). High Speed Scanning in Human Memory. Nature, 154,

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