KEY RESEARCH STUDY: Peterson & Peterson (1959)

• What did Peterson & Peterson study?

  The duration of the STM. The consonant syllables.
• What was Peterson & Peterson's procedure?

  24 students given a consonant syllable (e.g., YCG) to recall, and a 3 digit number to count backwards from
• What was Peterson & Peterson's findings?

  After 3 seconds = average recall 80%. After 18 seconds = average recall 3%. Therefore STM without rehearsal is up to 18 seconds.
• What is a strength of Peterson & Peterson's study?

  Tightly controlled experiment (in a lab) so there were less extraneous variables
• What is a limitation of Peterson & Peterson's study?

  Meaningless stimuli, so doesn't reflect everyday memory tasks, and therefore lacks external validity