Memory is a crucial aspect of everyday functioning that influences learning. It involves encoding, storing, and retrieving information in complex and dynamic ways. Memory is not a singular system, but a series of complex processes that activate different brain structures and unitary stores. One of the most influential memory models is the Atkinson and Shiffrin (1968) multi-store model, which suggests that memory is a linear, sequential process that incorporates three distinct memory stores: sensory memory, short-term memory (STM), and long-term memory (LTM) ⁽¹⁾. Additionally, the model proposes various control processes, such as attention, rehearsal, and retrieval, that regulate the transfer of information between memory stores⁽²⁾. Each unitary store possesses unique characteristics in terms of encoding, capacity, and duration. Sensory memory has an unlimited capacity and duration limit for different modalities, including echoic and iconic stimuli. For example, visual stimuli decay after one second, and auditory stimuli decay after 2-5 seconds. Information is transferred from sensory memory to STM if attention is directed towards it. STM can hold 7±2 meaningful chunks of information, lasting for thirty seconds unless rehearsed. If the information is rehearsed, it is forwarded to the LTM, where the capacity is potentially unlimited, and its duration is unknown, although it is potentially longer than human lifespan.

Several studies have tested the different features of the multi-store memory model. Glanzer and Cunitz's (1966, experiment 2) quantitative study aimed to investigate the serial position effect, which refers to the tendency to recall the first and last items in a list more effectively than the items in the middle. The primacy effect pertains to the recall of first items, whereas the recency effect pertains to recall of last items. The sample consisted of forty-six army-enlisted men who were asked to free-recall all words from a fifteen one-syllable noun list. There were three conditions: recall the words immediately after hearing the list, after ten seconds, and after thirty seconds of a filler activity. Although the primacy effect was observed in all three conditions, the recency effect diminished in the experimental groups with the filler activity. The results can be explained using the multi-store memory model, where the first few words of the list are stored in the LTM through rehearsal, and the last few words of the list move into the STM, as participants can immediately recall them. However, the recency effect reduces gradually due to the presence of the filler activity that prevents the rehearsal of the last few words of the list.

Our replication aims to examine whether the presence of filler activity would affect the participants' ability to recall the first and last few words of the fifteen-word list. We studied the impact of delay on recalling a few first and last words from the list thoroughly. This experiment can potentially help teachers and professors understand learning and memory patterns among teenagers and high school students more effectively. By comprehending memory and learning abilities better, educators can develop and implement better methods to teach and acknowledge students in various disciplines.

Independent variable: time delay between the end of the list and the start of free recall - operationalized as a thirty-second filler activity.

Dependent variable: memory - operationalized as the number of correctly recalled words while tending to remember the last five words from the fifteen-word list (recency effect).

Theoretical prediction: the filler activity will diminish the recency effect in the participants placed in the experimental group.

The null hypothesis posits that there is no difference in the number of accurately recalled words between participants who engage in a thirty-second filler activity and those who do not, with regards to the recency effect. This hypothesis is supported by various sources, including McLeod's work on the multi-store model of memory and Psynso's analysis of Atkinson and Shiffrin's research on the same topic.

References:

McLeod, S. (2021b, February 5). Atkinson and Shiffrin | Multi Store Model of Memory | Simply Psychology. Retrieved from https://www.simplypsychology.org/multi-store.html

Multi-Store Model of Memory by Atkinson-Shiffrin | Psynso. (2018). Retrieved from https://psynso.com/multi-store-model-memory-atkinson-shiffrin/