Grant Study

Question 1

What was the aim of Grants’ study?

Answer 1

To investigate if performance on a memory test is improved when the environment is the same at encoding and at retrieval.

Question 2

Describe the sample of Grants’ study.

Answer 2

• 39 participants (originally 40 but results were removed)
  -17-56 years old
• 17 females and 22 males
• Standard deviation 5.9
• Mean age 23.4

Question 3

What is context dependent memory?

Answer 3

We remember better when the context is the same at encoding as retrieval

Question 4

Describe how participants were recruited and sorted into conditions in Grant’s study.

Answer 4

• 8 experimenters randomly assigned participants to 4 conditions
• Each experimenter ran 1 participant for each condition
• Another participant was assigned by an instructor

Question 5

What are the 3 stages of memory?

Answer 5

1. Encoding
2. Storage
3. Retrieval

Question 6

Which condition had 9 participants in Grants’ study?

Answer 6

Silent- Silent condition

Question 7

What were the 4 conditions in Grants’ study?

Answer 7

1. Study= Silent Test= Silent
2. Study= Noisy Test= Noisy
3. Study= Silent Test= Noisy
4. Study= Noisy Test= Silent

Question 8

Describe the procedure for Grants’ study.

Answer 8

• Standardised instructions read aloud to participants
• All participants read a 2-page article on psycho-immunology
• They could study it however they wanted/ as long as they wanted
• Some studied in silence, some studied with noise in headphones
• All participants wore headphones
• Reading time recorded
• All got a 2 min break after studying/ reading
  -All answered short answer questions and multiple choice questions
• Debrief afterwards

Question 9

What was the noise in the headphones in Grants’ study?

Answer 9

Noise recorded from a University cafeteria.
Conversational hum, full sentences inaudible.

Question 10

Why was the article on psycho-immunology used?

Answer 10

It was judge to be interesting and understandable.

Question 11

Describe the short answer questions in Grants’ study.

Answer 11

• 10 questions
• Followed the order of the text
• Always done before the multiple choice questions

Question 12

Describe the multiple choice questions in Grants’ study.

Answer 12

• 16 marks in total
• 4 possible answers for each question
• Always done after the SAQs

Question 13

What were the results for the short answer questions in Grants’ study?

Answer 13

Silent- Silent= 6.7 marks
Silent- Noisy= 5.4 marks
Noisy- Silent= 4.6 marks
Noisy- Noisy= 6.2 marks

Question 14

What were the results for the multiple choice questions in Grants’ study?

Answer 14

Silent- Silent= 14.3
Silent- Noisy= 12.7
Noisy- Silent= 12.7
Noisy- Noisy= 14.3

Question 15

What conclusions were drawn from Grants’ study?

Answer 15

• Memory is improved by the environment when the context is the same at encoding and retrieval
• Students will perform better in exams if they study with minimum background noise as it is not present in actual exams
• Reading/ Studying time had little to no effect on performance

Question 16

What is the IV in Grants’ study

Answer 16

Whether they studied and did the test in silence or noise.

Question 17

What are the DVs in Grants’ study?

Answer 17

• Reading time in mins
• Score on the SAQs out of 10
• Score on the MCQs out of 16

Question 18

What research method was used in Grants’ study?

Answer 18

Laboratory experiment.

Question 19

What research design was used in Grants’ study?

Answer 19

Independent measures design.

Question 20

What type of data was collected in Grants’ study?

Answer 20

Quantitative Interval data.

Question 21

List some controls used in Grants’ study.

Answer 21

• Everyone wore headphones regardless of the condition
• Everyone read the same article
• Everyone had a 2 min break
• Everyone did the SAQs first and then the MCQs