Murdock's Study (1962)

• What was the aim of Murdock's study?

  To investigate whether the probability of words being recalled depended on the number of words required to be recalled
• What were the steps in Murdock's method?

  103 students on a psychology course participated in the study in an independent groups design where they were asked to learn a list of differrent words that varied in length from 10-40 words and recall them freely. Each word was presented for on both two seconds.
• What were the results of the experiment?

  The probability of words being recalled depended not on the length of the list, but on the position of the word in the list. Words at the start or end of the list were recalled more often, regardless of the length of the list. However, the words in the middle were always most often forgotten.
• What were Murdock's conclusions?

  Words early in the list were placed in the LTM as the person had time to rehearse each word acoustically, but words from the end of the list were still stored in the STM.

  Words in the middle of the list were not remembered because they had been displaced before they could be stored.
• How does Murdock's study provide evidence for the multi-store model?

  Follows the prediction of the model: first words have been rehearsed into the LTM, the recent words are still in the STM
• Give 3 strengths of the study

  A controlled experiment: the study was conducted in controlled conditions which means the results are reliable

  The researcher controlled the familiarity of the words, the speed they were read at and ensured that practice ha no effect on performance

  Supporting research: research has also shown that people who have amnesia and can't store long term memories do not show a primacy effect but do show a recency effect, proving the primacy effect t relates to LTM
• Give a weakness of the study

  Artificial task: memory was investigated using lists of words that only represent one aspect of memory- memorising a list of words is not something we do on a daily basis, reduces validity
• What is one strength of the study related to its conditions?

  The study was conducted in controlled conditions
• Why does conducting the study in controlled conditions enhance reliability?

  It minimizes external variables affecting results
• What aspects of the experiment did the researcher control?

  Familiarity of words and reading speed
• How did the researcher ensure practice had no effect on performance?

  By controlling the practice conditions
• What does supporting research indicate about amnesic patients?

  They show a recency effect but not a primacy effect
• What does the supporting research suggest about the primacy effect?

  It relates to long-term memory (LTM)
• What is one weakness of the study mentioned?

  The task was artificial and not daily life
• How does the artificial nature of the task affect the study's validity?

  It reduces the validity of the findings
• What are the strengths and weaknesses of the study?

  Strengths:

  • Conducted in controlled conditions
  • Controlled familiarity of words and reading speed
  • Supporting research on amnesic patients

  
  

  Weaknesses:

  • Artificial task not reflective of daily memory use
  • Reduces the validity of the findings