Peterson and Peterson (1959) Study Quiz

What was the main aim of the Peterson and Peterson (1959) study?

• To explore the impact of emotions on memory.

• To investigate the effects of sleep on memory.

• To test the true duration of short-term memory.

• To test the capacity of long-term memory.

How many students participated in the Peterson and Peterson study?

• 12

• 24

• 36

• 48

What method did the Petersons use to prevent rehearsal of trigrams?

• Giving participants a different task to perform.

• Asking participants to solve math problems.

• Having participants count backwards in threes.

• Distracting participants with music.

What was the result when participants counted backwards for 18 seconds?

• They recalled 30% of trigrams.

• They recalled 50% of trigrams.

• They recalled 80% of trigrams.

• They recalled less than 10% of trigrams.

What did the second experiment in the study involve?

• Participants were given time to repeat the trigram before counting.

• Participants were allowed to write down the trigrams.

• Participants were asked to count forwards instead of backwards.

• Participants were given a different set of trigrams.

What conclusion did the Petersons draw from their study?

• Memory recall improves with age.

• Long-term memory is unaffected by distractions.

• Short-term memory fades rapidly without rehearsal.

• Short-term memory can last indefinitely with rehearsal.

What is a strength of the Peterson and Peterson study?

• It had a large sample size.

• It used real-life scenarios.

• It had good control and standardised procedures.

• It focused on long-term memory.

What is a weakness of the Peterson and Peterson study?

• It did not control extraneous variables.

• It lacked mundane realism.

• It was conducted in a natural setting.

• It used real words instead of trigrams.

What practical application does the study suggest?

• Rehearsal is unnecessary for memory retention.

• Short-term memory is more reliable than long-term memory.

• Memory is unaffected by external factors.

• Avoiding distractions can help retain information.

What is meant by 'extraneous variables'?

• Variables that are intentionally manipulated.

• Variables that could affect the results of a study.

• Variables that are irrelevant to the study.

• Variables that are always constant.