Depth of Processing

Introduction How we approach information influences what we get from it. It is one thing to make this claim, and another to demonstrate it. Craik and Lockhart (1972) argue that the way in which we process stimuli is responsible for the persistence of the memory trace. They maintain that we process stimuli in a series of stages, from physical analysis to meaning. The more deeply we process stimuli, i.e., the more we elaborate meaning with associations, images, stories "...on the basis of our past experience." (P, 675), the more likely we are to remember those stimuli. I speculate further that our interest in the task at hand dictates the degree of attention we pay to stimuli; and, of course, greater interest may reflect greater prior knowledge about the stimuli, i.e., information already in memory. Depth of processing raises the idea of stages of analysis (See Crowder, 1976.) A primary aspect of stages of analysis is the difference between structural and semantic analysis. That is, we can focus on the letters, sounds, or syntactic units of words (structural elements), or we can focus on what words mean (semantic component). In this exercise, half of the class is instructed to monitor for structural features, and the other half is instructed to monitor for semantic features. Then a recognition memory test is given to test for and, predictably, demonstrate that more thoroughly processed, meaningful items are remembered better than merely structural concerns: the students who scan the list for meaning will recognize more of the words than the students who scan the list for structural information. Goals: The ways we approach, and derive information from stimuli affects what is stored in memory and, consequently, what is available to memory. This exercise helps to raise for discussion issues in mental dynamics, what we do with what lies in memory. The exercise reinforces the idea that information processing is an active process. Furthermore, it suggests that the mental task influences cognitive behavior and, therefore, cognitive outcomes. Read the instruction below that either go with Form A or Form B. Flip a coin to decide which one you will do, Form A or Form B. (See Schulman, 1971; and Craik & Lockhart, 1972 for the procedures used here.)

Depth of Processing Exercise Booklet (Form A)

Depth of Processing Exercise Booklet (Form B)

When you are ready to start doing this exercise, go to the next section below where you will find a list of words. Print a paper copy of the list (or edit/copy to a text editor, such as WORD and work with it on the computer)..Your task is to scan the list of words as quickly as possible, looking for words that refer to a living thing. If the word refers to a living thing, then circle the letter "Y" (for yes). If not, circle the letter "N"(for no). Remember to work as quickly as possible. electrode Y N bath Y N blanket Y N geranium Y N frog Y N mussel Y N termite Y N bye Y N container Y N knitting Y N shark Y N railroad Y N release Y N hide Y N pocket Y N gazelle Y N fat Y N dolphin Y N squirrel Y N pique Y N semicolon Y N Ohio Y N brain Y N muskrat Y N warblers Y N perch Y N scorpion Y N washer Y N top Y N crochet Y N engine Y N man Y N camera Y N goose Y N vice Y N llama Y N lobby Y N numb Y N web Y N book Y N ant Y N swallowYN fever Y N now Y N mailbox Y N ostrich Y N hate Y N hamster Y N machine Y N voltage Y N alphabet Y N rubber Y N spend Y N what Y N wrench Y N thrush Y N honeybee Y N kangaroo Y N drag Y N dress Y N cardinal Y N entrance Y N marsupial Y N anchor Y N bring Y N rude Y N bathtub Y N otter Y N osprey Y N tennis Y N want Y N sort Y N cylinder Y N coal Y N lizard Y N gibbon Y N trombone Y N whale Y N lobster Y N Manx Y N brown Y N exhaust Y N pizza Y N brown Y N chicken Y N elephant Y N name Y N running Y N porcupine Y N photography Y N service Y N shortage Y N pheasant Y N Connecticut Y N thermostat Y N woodpecker Y N primate Y N fade Y N rooster Y N shutter Y N oyster Y N old Y N jackal Y N sailing Y N cat Y N holder Y N department Y N goat Y N extreme Y N journalY N pill Y N koala Y N alligator Y N nape Y N laughter Y N plunger Y N vulture Y N stork Y N starling Y N automobile Y N molding Y N sparrow Y N turkey Y N robin Y N late Y N calf Y N snake Y N Indiana Y N cow Y N lose Y N blackbird Y tortoise Y N nail Y N horse Y N program Y N Maine Y N profit Y N polar bear Y N fox Y N mile Y N fish Y N paint Y N platypus Y N lath Y N

Recognition Test

The following lists include some words that were in the lists you just scanned, and some that were not. Please circle the words that you recognize from the list you scanned. mouse knitting music canary then oat sapsucker electrode release gazelle cylinder running tennis exhaust honeybee railroad termite chicken partridge song Vermont partisan container muskrat mainstream dolphin hide radiant treatise trash thermostat mussel sewing pocket swallow now man warblers spectrum member giraffe semicolon brown pill blanket fever partition washer turkey robin service Connecticut pheasant automobile camera radio starling Indiana porcupine extract intern plunger blackbird laughter alligator elephant geranium top crochet pique bath fox demean fish dream calf horse engine lobster wrench menstrual Manx trombone marsupial square vice ostrich spy photography stick guppy sort bring spend coal drag sparrow vulture confront perch bye holder cat ant brain Ohio platypus dread scorpion squirrel shark stork mailbox alphabet whale bathtub oyster serpent osprey llama numb woodpecker frog sailing jackal old dress theory web charm cardinal dart entrance kangaroo otter fade book what crack garbage thrush rude gibbon rooster molding name pizza wing lath brown tortoise profit koala department lose mile snake late goose hate conifer conflict primate voltage crab why cradle rubber anchor lizard machine shutter goat Maine gnaw paint nail money polar bear program extreme journal nape make cow shortage hamster lobby The starred words (*) appear in the scanning list above. mouse *knitting music *canary *then oat sapsucker *electrode *release *gazelle *cylinder *running *tennis *exhaust *honeybee *railroad *termite *chicken partridge song Vermont partisan *container *muskrat mainstream *dolphin *hide radiant treatise trash *thermostat *blackbird *mussel sewing *pocket *swallow *now *man *warblers spectrum member giraffe *semicolon *brown *pill *blanket *fever partition *washer *turkey *robin *service *Connecticut *pheasant *automobile *camera radio *starling *Indiana *porcupine extract intem *plunger *vulture *laughter *alligator *elephant *geranium *top *crochet *pique *bath *fox demean *fish dream *calf *horse engine *lobster *wrench menstrual *Manx *trombone *marsupial square *vice *ostzich spy *photography stick guppy *sort *bring *spend *coal *drag *sparrow *entrance confront *perch *bye *holder *cat *ant *brain *Ohio *platypus dread *scorpion *squirrel *shark *stork *mailbox *alphabet *whale *bathtub *oyster serpent *osprey *llama *numb *woodpecker *frog *sailing *jackal *old *dress theory *web charm *cardinal dart conifer *kangaroo *otter *fade *book *what crack garbage *thrush *rude *gibbon *rooster *molding *name *pizza wing *lath *brown *tortoise *profit *koala *department *lose *mile *snake *late *hate conflict *primate *voltage crab why cradle *rubber *anchor *lizard *machine *shutter *goat *Maine gnaw *paint *nail money *polar bear *program *extreme *joumal *nape make *cow *shortage *hamster *lobby Analysis This exercise makes a clear point. It demonstrates empirically that when we attend to the meaning of a stimulus, as opposed to the physical structure of the stimulus, we are better able to remember and recognize it. What is of real value in this exercise is the idea that we can process information in different ways, depending upon how we approach the task at hand. This idea reinforces the notion of an active processor, an active communicator. It raises for consideration a host of important theoretical issues. For instance, one may ponder the question: What is a word?" This exercise may be viewed as suggesting that a word is a complex, that is, not just one thing with a simple relationship between the word and the referent. The words that make up the stimuli in this exercise are themselves physical objects, with internal structure. They are also symbols that represent a semantic system. In the semantic light, these words are subject to an analysis of their features, such as contrasting features (e.g., animate and inanimate). In addition to the code represented by the word, a cognitive flexibility inheres in each word that allows us to approach it in more than one way. You may wish to note the contexts in which we operate on one or another aspect of a word, e.g., reading a new word for which we do not have a meaning. Or, you may wish to speculate about the implications of depth of processing for listening, learning, displaying involvement, experiencing concentration, and its effects on the individual's state of relaxation. References

Craik, F., & Lockhart, R. (1972). Levels of processing: A framework for memory research. Journal of Verbal Learning and Verbal Behavior, 11 (6), 671-684.

Crowder, R (1976). Principles of learning and memory. Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

Schulman, A. (1971). Recognition memory for targets from a scanned word list. British Journal of Psychology, 62(3), 335-346.