The Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback on Short Term Memory Scanning

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The Effects of Positive and Negative Feedback on
Short Term Memory Scanning

• By Gavin Walsh
• Purchase College

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Overview

• This is an experiment examining the effects of
  positive and negative feedback on a
  Sternberg-like short term memory scanning test.

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Background

• In 1966 Saul Sternberg developed a method for
  examining Short Term Memory
• Serial exhaustive search

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Social and Cognitive Connections

• Golightly and Byrne (1964) demonstrate
  application of reinforcement in social psychology
  
• Milinski and Wedekind study the impact of memory
  on the Prisoners Dilemma

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The Experiment
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Participants

• 33 undergraduate students
• 21 female and 12 male
• Age M 21.03, SD 7.76
• Median Age 19

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Materials

• A laptop computer and the Superlab program

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Procedure and Design

• Instructions to the test of creativity and
  perception
• Creativity test given and graded
• Feedback

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Procedure and Design Continued

• Computer test of short term memory

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Example

• Memory Set ABCDE (shown for 1.2
  seconds)
• Probe C (shown for 2
  seconds)
• Answer 1
• Feedback Correct!

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Results

• Statistical analysis of this experiment involved
  a 3x5 mixed ANOVA with set size as a repeated
  measures variable and feedback condition as a
  between subjects variable both measured by
  reaction time.
• In addition a one-way ANOVA was done on the y
  intercept and the slope of the condition.

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Results Continued

• The only statistically significant result was in
  set size ( F 4 40.45, p lt .000)
• There were no statistically significant
  differences in the feedback condition, the slope
  ,or y intercept.

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Limitations

• Though there was no significant effect from the
  feedback condition this could be because the
  number of subjects was low.

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Critique Room for Improvement in future
research

• Experiment was not double blind
• Time of day variation
• Subjects waiting
• Hand placement

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References

• Golightly, C., Byrne, D. (1964). Attitude
  Statements as Positive and Negative Reinforcers.
  Science, 146, 798-799.
• Milinski, M., Wedkind, C. (1998). Working Memory
  Constrains Human Cooperation in the Prisoners
  Dilemma. Proceedings of the National Academy of
  Sciences of the United States of America, 95,
  13755-13758
• Sternberg, S. (1966). High Speed Scanning in
  Human Memory. Nature, 154,