The Memory Theories of Levels of Processing

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This research tests the memory theories of levels of processing proposed by Craik and Lockhart (1972) and encoding specificity presented by Wiseman and Tulving (1976). Craik and Lockhart (1972) assert that stimuli that are semantically related are encoded more deeply than stimuli that are related physically. Wiseman and Tulving (1976) state that encoded information must be retrieved in the same way in which it was encoded. These two theories come together in the current experiment where the subjects rate the relatedness of word pairs on either rhyming or categorization. Then the subjects complete a free recall or cued recall from the word list. It is hypothesized that the category encoded words will be easier to retrieve in both the cued and free recalls and that the congruently encoded and retrieved words (e.g., category encode and category recall) will be easier to retrieve. The results affirm the hypotheses resulting in a significant interaction between encoding and retrieval, and a significant difference between the means for the category and rhyming words.
Keywords: levels of processing, encoding specificity, rhyming, category Levels of Processing and Encoding Specificity
Craik and Lockhart’s (1972) levels of processing model introduces a shallow and deep processing system as a route to which information enters into long term memory. “Specifically, we suggest that trace persistence is a function of depth of analysis, with deeper levels of analysis associated with more elaborate, longer lasting, and stronger traces” (Craik and Lockhart, 1972, p.675). Shallow processing would be the physical characteristics of a stimulus, deep processing would be semantic characteristics of a stimulus. Craik and Lockhart (1972) argue that se...

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...eived auditory instructions for both conditions, which may have resulted in confusion during the experiment. A more controlled environment with separate testing environments for the subjects in each condition would ensure no confusion regarding instructions.
This research may be expanded to look at the impact of different types of stimuli on memory encoding and retrieval. Visual or pictorial stimuli could be replaced by word stimuli to observe the differences in memory performance of word versus pictorial stimuli. An expansion of the research could also include colored words as a way to relate the word pairs to discover the impacts of colored stimuli on memory. An experiment could be constructed to measure the relation of rhyming words and random word pairs written in the same color. This research may expand the current knowledge of memory encoding and retrieval.

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