Depth of Processing&Retention of Words in Episodic Memory

• Aim:

  • to investigate how deep and shallow processing affects memory recall
• Theorists:

  • Craik & Tulving 1975
• Method:

  • Participants were presented with a series of 60 words about which they had to answer one of three questions. Some questions required the participants to process the word in a deep way (Semantic) and others in a shallow way (Structural and phonemic)
  • participants were then given a long list of 180 words into which the original words had been mixed. They were asked to pick out the original word
• 1. Structural/visual processing: ‘Is the word in capital letters or small letters?’
  2. Phonemic/auditory processing: ‘Does the word rhyme with?’
  3. Semantic processing: ‘Does the word go in this sentence?’
• Results/findings:

  • Participants recalled more words that were semantically processed compared to phonemically and visually processed words
• Conclusion:

  • Semantically processed words involve elaborative rehearsal and deep processing which results in more accurate recall. Phonemic and visually processed words involve shallow processing and less accurate recall.
• This explanation of memory is useful for everyday life because it highlights how elaboration, which requires deeper processing of information, can aid memory
• Elaboration

  • Reworking (putting information in your own words or talking about it with someone else)
  • Method of Loci (linking each item with a familiar place or route)
  • Imagery (creating an image of something you want to remember)
• Elaborative rehearsal

  Deeper processing of information
• Using elaborative rehearsal should result in deeper processing
• Strengths:

  • Craik and Tulving’s research supports their level of processing theory.
  • This explanation of memory is useful in everyday life because it highlights how elaboration, which requires deeper processing of information can aid memory.
• The theory does not explain how deep processing results in better memories
• Deeper processing takes more effort than shallow processing and it could be this, rather than the depth of processing that makes it more likely people will remember something
• The concept of depth is vague and cannot be observed. Therefore, it cannot be objectively measured
• Craik & Tulving’s experiment lacks a degree of ecological validity in that only word recall is tested
• In reality, structural and visual processing might be expected to a higher degree if a person is asked to recall a picture they have seen for example