A Classic Memory Experiment for the Classroom

A recent Guardian article questions the accuracy memory and provides a useful classroom strategy for testing memory.

Read: Is your memory as accurate as you think it is?

Running the experiment

To run the experiment, present students with three lists of words (pictured above). Then present students with another list of words and ask them to state which ones appeared in the original lists.

• Chair
• Top
• Sleep
• Slow
• Seat
• Yawn
• Mountain
• Sweet

You might find that your students report seeing words like slow, sweet and strong, despite the fact they didn’t appear in the original lists. This experiment is a classic example of false recognition, but may be an interesting way to discuss models of memory or even eyewitness testimony.

Reference: Etchells, P. (2016, August 8). Is your memory as accurate as you think it is? (Guardian) Retrieved August 10, 2016.

Daily Digest

To keep up-to-date with the tutor2u Psychology team, follow us on Twitter @tutor2uPsych, Facebook (AQA) / OCR or subscribe to the Psychology Daily Digest and get new content delivered to your inbox!