Method
Participants
To help test hypotheses, the study collected data from 22 participants. A random selection process targeted to recruit participants from Camosun College from a youthful population of students. The ages of the included study subjects ranged from 19 to 35 years and a median of 29. To study deep, intermediate, and shallow memory processing abilities, 11 participants were allocated to participate in the shallow depth of processing experiment. In contrast, the remaining 11 took part in the deep level processing tests. The group constituted of 13 female and 9 male participants. The younger proportion of the group aged between 19 and 25 years had four male and five female participants, while the senior study group aged between 25 and 35 years comprised of five males and eight females. The senior participants were mainly community-dwelling adult students recruited by random probability sampling and notified through Health & Human Services. The median ages of the junior and senior study groups were 20 and 31 years, respectively.
Materials and Apparatus
During the experiment, materials and apparatus included a color monitor, a list of words, and structured questions. The word list comprises 20 lexically semantic words, which were distinct from each other in length, pronunciation, and composition (see the appendix section for an attached list of nouns used in the experiment). A color monitor was used to project the participants’ words for visual observation before answering questions afterward. A 24-inch LED Samsung monitor with well-optimized brightness, contrast, and color was preferred for presenting the participants’ nouns. Further, a tachistoscope was also involved for purposes of exposing the participants to expose a measured period before they were questioned. The tachistoscope was timed to ensure participants could only see text characters for a limited period before a different word appeared.
In the experiment, country names were preferred. The 16-point font-sized words were structured in black and red colors and presented on white screen background. The target words were subdivided into a prefix – the first one-two letters of the noun, the root word, and a suffix – the last one-two letters of the noun. Prefixes were, and suffixes were separated from the root word using three dashes (Au— for prefix and — ia for the suffix). Structured questionnaires were also used to study shallow and intermediate level processing where participants were asked questions regarding the words seen and expected to respond. Mainly, type scripted questions and questions about rhymes were used to measure shallow and intermediate processing. In contrast, additional questions on country recognition were incorporated in the experiment to assess the participants’ deep memory. Whereas the exact continents where the countries are located were not shown, the countries were organized in groups for the ease of remembrance based on context.
Procedure
An experimenter tested individual participants in a confined room at the university premises, away from possible sources of unwanted distraction. During the study, a random order of participant testing was followed to ensure no routine order prevailed. The first experiment involved asking a question, showing the participants some words, and assessing their ability to process each word as asked. The participant was required to sit facing the screen monitor, listen to a question connected with the words he or she was about to witness, and respond afterward. The words kept appearing on the screen one after the other at 2 second-intervals.
The second experiment was structured in two phases – the experiment and interview phase and the processing phase. Three coding levels were adopted in the initial phase, which entailed a random country or continent name, a rhyme query, and a structured sentence question. The country or continent names would appear either in lowercase or uppercase letters on the screen. At each level of coding, the participant was asked 20 questions requiring a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer. A specific noun in each of the 20 questions would appear on the tachistoscope 2 seconds later and last on the screen for a period of 200 milliseconds. Subsequently, it was required that the participant would quickly press a “yes” or “no” key on the keyboard to answer the question. The ensuing phase was designed to prompt each participant to identify all the 60 words that he/she had been queried upon during the initial stage of experiment 2. Originally, the list contained 180 words, with more than half (120) comprising distractor words. Accordingly, the participants were each provided a piece of paper to write all the words they could recall from the first phase. After all the individuals had written their responses, they were addressed concerning the study, thanked for participation, and dismissed.
Design
The single factor within-subjects experimental design was used in the study. The method was adopted due to its ability to allow a few participants’ involvements and offer effective results. The only major source of limitation for the method was the possibility of carryover effects as participants in a given test would potentially have been affected by a prior test.