| | Category | BE | L01 | Arrange Your Brain |
| | Abstract | The purpose of this experiment was to find out if the |
| | arrangement of data affected memory and what arrangement was most |
| | advantageous. It was predicted that the ease of memorization would be |
| | affected by the arrangement of data and that a square array of information |
| | would create the optimum conditions for memorization. |
| | In this experiment, forty subjects were tested on their ability to memorize |
| | pictures on cards arranged in different ways. Each subject was given a |
| | card with sixteen pictures on it. The subject then had thirty seconds to |
| | memorize the pictures. After time had concluded, the subject wrote down |
| | as many items as they could remember. The subject repeated this process |
| | for the remaining five cards. The cards had the following arrangements: |
| | Card I- random, Card II- 1x16 array, Card III- 16x1 array, Card IV- 2x8 |
| | array, Card V- 8x2 array, and Card VI- 4x4 array. Each subject was |
| | asked which card they found easiest and hardest and their strategy for |
| | memorization. The tests were then scored. Averages were found for |
| | each card and test overall. Averages were then found by age, grade, |
| | gender, and strategy type. Counts were then taken of the number of times |
| | each card was named easiest and hardest and had the best, outright best, |
| | worst, and outright worst score. |
| | Card VI, the square array, was the most advantageous arrangement. |
| | The average score for this card was 9.18 correct answers, higher than |
| | any other card. It was chosen as the easiest card to memorize the most |
| | times and the hardest card to memorize the least times. It had the most |
| | occurrences of being the best and outright best card for each subject and |
| | the least number of occurrences of being the worst and outright worst |
| | card. This experiment could have been improved by better controlling the |
| | noise level in the testing room. Also, testing more subjects could have |
| | allowed for better data to be collected on different groups of subjects (i.e. |
| | age, grade, gender, strategy types). |
| | Bibliography | Culkin, Joseph, and Richard Perrotto. Fundamentals of Psychology : |
| | Applications for Life and Work. Mason: Cengage South-Western, 1995. |
| | Lorayne, Harry, and Jerry Lucas. The Memory Book. New York: |
| | Scarborough House, 1974. |
| | "Memory Improvement Techniques - Improve Your Memory with |
| | MindTools.com." Mind Tools - Online Management Training, Leadership |
| | Training and Career Training - Right Here, Right Now. 09 Feb. 2009 |
| | <http://www.mindtools.com/memory.html>. |
| | "Mnemonics - Memory Techniques." Bucks County Community College. 01 |
| | Mar. 1991. 09 Feb. 2009 |
| | <http://www.bucks.edu/~specpop/mnemonics.htm>. |