MEMORIZATION SPEED CONSISTENCY IN RELATION TO WRITING AND SPEAKING

A Research Presented to
Prof.

In Partial Fulfillment
Of the Requirements for the Subject
PSYC

December 2012

ABSTRACT
MEMORIZATION SPEED CONSISTENCY IN RELATION TO WRITING AND SPEAKING

Memory refers to the processes that are used to acquire, store, retain and later retrieve information, this research aims to know the correlation of writing and speaking relative to speed of recalling the information given. In the experiment the subject of the study was told to recall the alphabet backwards for five trials with thirty seconds interval for each, and was timed in seconds by the experimenter. The experiment was done in two parts, written and oral. The main findings are: the time taken by the subject to write the alphabet backwards is greater than the time taken by the subject to recite it. Also, the time taken by the subject to write and recite the alphabet backwards, in general is inversely proportional to the no. of trials given. However, in the third and fourth trials the time taken by the subject increases, which may be a result of other external factors or a result of forgetting by the subject.
To summarize the findings, the memorization speed of the subject is consistent, or as the number of trials increases, the number of time taken by the subject to write and recite the alphabet backwards decreases. We can now conclude that it is faster to memorize or remember information by reciting it orally with repetition than writing it repetitively.

INTRODUCTION “Memory is the means by which we draw on our past experiences in order to use this information in the present.’ (Sternberg, 1999)
The multi store model (Atkinson and Shiffrin 1968) describes memory in terms of information flowing through a system.
Information is detected by the sense organs and enters the sensory memory.
If attended to this information enters the short term memory.
Information from the STM is transferred to the long-term memory only if that information is rehearsed. If rehearsal does not occur, then information is forgotten, lost from short term memory through the processes of displacement or decay.
Sensory Memory has a duration of ¼ to ½ second, a capacity of all sensory experience (v. larger capacity), and has an encoding in sense specific (e.g. different stores for each sense)
Short Term Memory has duration of 0-18 seconds, a capacity of 7 +/- 2 items, and has an encoding mainly in auditory.
Long Term Memory has an unlimited duration and capacity and has an encoding mainly in semantic (but can be visual and auditory)

METHODOLOGY
Participants
The participant was Rona Lyn G. Batara a third year BS Clinical Psychology Student, from Quezon City.
Materials
The Materials needed in order to conduct the experiment was paper, pencil, and a timer.
Procedure
The experiment started by allowing the subject to write the alphabet backwards which was timed in seconds by the experimenter, this was repeated five times with thirty seconds interval each. Then, the subject was instructed to orally recite the alphabet backwards and was timed in seconds, it was repeated five times with thirty seconds interval each.

RESULTS
TABLES
TABLE 1
Speed in Memorization (WRITTEN)

TRIAL TIME (Seconds)
First Trial 59.41 Sec.
Second Trial 41.88 Sec.
Third Trial 43.41 Sec.
Fourth Trial 35.56 Sec.
Fifth Trial 32.97 Sec.

In analyzing the gathered data, the first trial has the longest time with 59.41 seconds, while the fifth trial has the shortest time with 32.97 seconds. However, there seemed to be a slight increase in the time, from 41.88 seconds in the second trial to 43.41 seconds in the third trial.

TABLE 2
Speed in Memorization (ORAL)
TRIAL TIME (Seconds)
First Trial 24.14 Sec.
Second Trial 18.91 Sec.
Third Trial 18.38 Sec.
Fourth Trial 21.09 Sec.
Fifth Trial 16.80 Sec.

The table shows that the first trial has the longest time consumed by the subject, with 24.14 seconds, while the fifth trial has the minimal amount of time spent, with 16.80 seconds. However, the time used by the subject increased a little, from 18.38 seconds in third trial to 21.09 seconds in the fourth trial.
GRAPHS
GRAPH 1
SPEED IN MEMORIZATION (WRITTEN) In general, the time taken by the subject to write the alphabet backwards is inversely proportional to the number of trials given. Likewise, as the number of trials increases, the time taken by the subject to write the alphabet backwards decreases. On the other hand, in the third trial, there is a slight increase in the time the subject completed writing.

GRAPH 2
SPEED IN MEMORIZATION (ORAL) In general, the time taken by the subject to recite the alphabet backwards is inversely proportional to the number of trials given. Similarly, as the number of trials increases, the time taken by the subject to write the alphabet backwards decreases. On the other hand, in the fourth trial, there is a slight increase in the time the subject completed reciting.
DISCUSSION
By looking at the data gathered, we can determine that the time taken by the subject to write the alphabet in backwards is greater than the time taken by the subject to recite it orally. It only means that it is more possible to remember and recall information when frequently recited than writing it repeatedly.

Bibliography

Andreas, B. (1972). Experimental Psychology.
Leahy, T.H., & Harris, R.J.(2000). Learning and Cognition.
McLeod, S. A. (2007). Study of Memory in Psychology. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/memory.html
McLeod, S. A. (2008). Working Memory. Retrieved from http://www.simplypsychology.org/working%20memory.html

Appendix
TABLES
Table 1 Memorization Speed (Written)
Table 2 Memorization Speed (Oral)
GRAPHS
Graph 1 Memorization Speed (Written)
Graph 2 Memorization Speed (Oral)