Honors Theses
Date of Award
1-1-2008
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
First Advisor
Matthew Reysen
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
JOSEPH C. TANN: Usage as a Beneficial Method of Encoding
Many psychologists have attempted to find the most effective method of processing information in human memory. For years, the pleasantness method of processing was considered to be among the best methods for enhancing memory performance. One recent theory (Nairne, 2007) has suggested that processing items in terms oftheir survival value may be an even more proficient method of processing. Another theory (Reysen & Adair, 2008) attempted to prove that survival may not be the reason for the enhanced performance, but the individual’s connection with the specific object’s usage. My experiment was designed to expand upon the recent research supporting a processing advantage for object usage. In this experiment, participants were presented with thirty words, given a briefdistracter task, and then given a free recall test. The only difference between the two conditions was one sentence ofthe instructions. One group was given instructions that enabled participants to think about items in terms oftheir uses, while the other group’s instructions did not. It was observed that participants fared significantly better when given the set of instructions with a connection to object usage.
Recommended Citation
Tann, Joseph C., "Object Usage Processing Improves Memory" (2008). Honors Theses. 2792.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2792
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