On Short Term Memory

This afternoon I conducted three memory tests on a subject to investigate the affects of organization and distractions on short-term memory. The subject has to listen as a list was read out loud, remember the words, and then record the words that they could remember on a piece of paper. These tests were conducted in my living room. There was a minimal amount of external distractions present during the tests.

Each of the three lists were read to the subject were structured in a different way, either having organization based on a category, a distraction that interfered with the memory process.

For the first test, I read the subject the 4 categories and then I read the following list:

Tomato Tulip Toronto Turkey
Raspberry Rose Reno Russia
Lemon Lily London Luxembourg
Banana Bluebonnet Boston Brazil*
Cantaloupe Carnation Cancun Canada
Grape Geranium Geneva Germany

All of the words were read sequentially, Except for the “B” list, which I forgot to read. ☹ After I finished reading, the subject took a few minutes and then wrote out all of the words they could remember. The test notified me that the subject will most likely remember more than the usual 4-9 words because of the organization of categories and the alliteration of the words. To my surprise, the subject remembered 18 of the 20 words. The subject also remembered them in order. This was probably a result of the four categories. I was not expecting that high of a score on this test. So I then moved on to the next test.


For the second test, I instructed the subject to listen to the words and memorize them. I then read the list out loud:

Tulip
Center
Carpet
Book
Window
Pony
Russia
Lime
Disk
Sidewalk
Table
Salad
Phone
Coffee
Pillow


After I was finished, the subject wrote down all of the words they could remember. The subject wrote down all fifteen items on this list. The only changes made to the list were that the subject added an “s” to the end of “lime” and “disk.” For the second time, I was quite amazed at the subject’s ability to memorize the list.


Then I read the third list to the subject. As I did so, I instructed the subject to do each action as I said the word. I then read the list:


Blink
Cough
Clap
Lean
Sneeze
Scratch
Squint
Twist
Squeeze
Wink
Yawn
Reach
Stretch
Gargle
Kick


The subject did each action as I read the words aloud. After we were finished, I instructed the subject to record the words. The subject was able to write down 9 of the 15 words. This was surprising to me. For the first time in the series of tests, the subject was unable to remember the majority of the list. My hypothesis was that doing the action would cement the word in the subjects mind, but it seemed to have the opposite effect. The action served as a distraction.


After the tests were concluded, I interviewed the subject about their experience with the tests and tried to figure out what did and did not work for memorizing. To my surprise again, the subject has already developed a system of memorizing lists wherein the listener visualizes the word and then places that visual inside a narrative story. To recall the words, the listener then repeats the story in their head as they write them down.


In commenting on the first test, the subject revealed their strategy for memorization “Knowing that there were categories and that the first letter of each list was going to be the same for all of the words, I just had to focus on remembering the first letter of each list.”

It is evident to me after conducting this first test that the brain is able to retain more in short term memory if information is organized in small chunks, alphabetically, and topically. The organization of information assists the brain in storing the information in an accessible way.

When discussing the second test, it was apparent that visualization and context, when combined together, provide a powerful reinforcement for memory. It was also clear that the subject had developed this technique over a period of time and was used to implementing it, making list memorization easier than if it was the first time it had been attempted. What was even more amazing to me was the fact that when quizzing the subject an hour later, 90% of the list was still remembered. This served to indicated that the combination of visualization and context is effective not only for short term memory, but also for storing in long term memory.


The third and final test proved that it is difficult for the mind to do multiple things at once when trying to remember details. It is expedient for memorization if the mind only has to focus on one thing at a time.

The serial-position effect was proven in these tests. Each of the few words forgotten occurred in the middle of the lists. This indicates the importance of intentionally focusing on the middle section of a list or when learning a new task.

Conducting these tests was an enjoyable and practical way to discover the processes involved in training and using short-term memory.