The Process Of Memorization In Psychology

Learning and recalling past events is based on one’s ability to store information done through encoding; which involves the recording of information in our brain. However, since everyone’s mind is structured differently, the process of memorization is distinct for each individual. This makes studying a challenge if students are unsure which method suits them best. Since people use their senses in their everyday lives, it may work as an effective method of studying. More specifically, their sense of taste and smell. This is due to the fact that the olfactory the gustatory senses can trigger certain responses in the brain which serve as a retrieval cue for memory. If a student were to study while chewing gum, he or she will be able to recall

Four out of eight participants were female, two of them were eighteen and the other two were nineteen years old. The other four participants were male, two of them were eighteen and the other two were nineteen years old. The mean age was eighteen years and six months.

Materials

Oral Consent Form

Prior to the experiment, an oral consent form was read aloud and verbal consent was given by every participant. The form ensured that the participants were aware of the activities they performed as well as any potential risks before the research was conducted.

Next Material The material necessary for this research included a list of twenty randomly selected words (see appendix A), spearmint gum, pencil and paper. The list of words was used to test the participant’s memory with and without the influence the stimuli to determine if the gum acted as a sensory retrieval cue for improved memory during the recall process.

Group A consisted of two females, one eighteen years of age and the other nineteen, and two males, one eighteen years of age and the other nineteen. Group B consisted of the remaining participants. Both groups saw the entire list words for ten minutes before the screen was turned off. During this time, Group B chewed on spearmint gum while Group A was not exposed to the stimulus. Both groups were then given a 1-minute break prior to the test. When the minute was up, they wrote the words they still remembered onto a piece of paper. A total of five minutes was given to recall the words. During this time, Group B chewed on spearmint gum and Group A was not exposed the stimulus. Both groups then had their results analyzed to determine which group was able to recall more words.

Results

Group A’s test scores was noticeably lower (refer to table below), they were able to obtain on average six to eight words. While Group B was able to recall on average ten to twelve words given the same study, but also used the gum as a retrieval cue. Participant A.C was able to recall up to ten words without the stimulus, and Participant B.C was able to recall 6 words with the stimulus which skewed the overall average for each Group. Overall, participants in Group B where the stimulus was employed showed a significant increase in the ability to recall words compared to the data collected in Group A which tends