The Effects of Color, Congruency and Distractors on Short Term Memory. Jenny Braun. Hanover College

Transcription

1 Color, Congruency and Distractors 1 The Effects of Color, Congruency and Distractors on Short Term Memory Jenny Braun Hanover College

2 Color, Congruency and Distractors 2 Problem Short term memory can be affected by various factors within the stimuli and any possible distractors after the stimuli are presented. Previous studies have focused on these various factors including a study by Delos Wickens in which participants were asked to recall the names of three breeds of dogs after a distractor task (Solso, MacLin, and MacLin, 2005). The final trial varied between participants; some participants were given a fourth list of breeds of dogs, whereas the other participants were given a list of three types of flowers, meats, professions, or vegetables (Solso, MacLin, and MacLin, 2005). Wickens results showed that participants were more likely to recall the fourth list of words if they were not related to the previous lists of breeds of dogs. With this study in mind, it is thought that novelty would be easier to recall and it is hypothesized that when the objects are noncongruent with the setting, it will be easier to recall more objects than when they are congruent. It is also hypothesized that color pictures will be easier to recall objects from than black and white pictures because people see the world in color and so color pictures will be more familiar. Lastly, it is hypothesized that math problems that are set as distractors will interfere with participants' ability to recall objects from the list. Method Participants 37 participants were obtained at a small liberal arts college in the Midwest. All of the participants were in the age range of years old. 13 participants were male and 24 participants were female. Thirty participants were White/Caucasian, two were Asian, and five participants did not specify their ethnicity. Participants either completed the experiment in a group or individually. Participants were randomly selected to one condition with eight of

3 Color, Congruency and Distractors 3 participants in Condition 1, seven in Condition 2, twelve in Condition 3 and ten in Condition 4. Equipment The equipment used to run the experiment were four different Microsoft PowerPoint slideshows designed for the experiment projected onto a wall for small groups or presented on a laptop for individuals, as well as paper handouts. Each slideshow was compiled of four photographs of the same kitchen setting, designed by the experimenters, containing congruent and non-congruent items. The slideshow was on an automatic timer in order to ensure equal time between each slide. The front page of the handout listed items that could be presented in the photographs in two columns. For each photograph, half of the objects listed were false items not presented in the photograph. Space for demographic information was provided at the bottom of the front page. Half of the handouts had space provided for the participants to solve math problems printed on the back. Stimuli Four Microsoft PowerPoint slideshows were designed to present the stimuli. Each condition contained four photographs of a kitchen with different objects in each photograph. The first two photographs contained noncongruent objects in the kitchen such as a car tire, tricycle, bowling pins, and a hair dryer. The last two photographs contained objects that were congruent in a kitchen setting such as a blender, cans of food, dish soap, and a plate. Depending on the condition, pictures were either presented in color or grayscale and between each photograph there was either fifty seconds of a blank screen or ten simple addition and subtraction math problems, each presented for five seconds. In Condition 1, participants viewed a slideshow of black and white photographs with no math distractors. Condition 2 contained black and white

4 Color, Congruency and Distractors 4 photographs with math distractors. In Condition 3 participants viewed color pictures with no math distractors, and Condition 4 contained color pictures with math distractors. Procedure Participants were seated within viewing distance of the PowerPoint slideshow and after signing an informed consent form, were given brief verbal instructions. Participants were given a handout face down, which was either blank or provided space for solving the math problems. The first slide explained the procedure to the participants. After the instructions slide the first image was presented for ten seconds, and participants were asked to remember the objects in the photograph. Participants then either solved ten addition and subtraction problems or waited for fifty seconds. Following the fifty second lapse, participants were given fifteen seconds and instructed on a slide to turn over their handouts and circle which of the items listed were seen in the previous photograph. Participants were then instructed to turn their handouts over again to the back and look at the next photograph, followed by the same fifty second time lapse. The experimenter verbally instructed participants when to turn handouts over when the slideshow prompted them to so as well. This pattern continued for the four photographs in each slideshow. After the last set of items were identified for the fourth photograph, participants were instructed to fill out their demographics at the bottom of the front page of the handout and then given a debriefing form. Data was collected by counting the total number of correctly identified items in each picture and the total number of incorrectly identified items for each picture. Results A 2x2x2 ANOVA with repeated measures for congruency analysis of the data was used to find significance between subjects for color or black and white pictures, and math distractors or no math distractors, as well as within subjects for congruent or noncongruent pictures. With

5 Color, Congruency and Distractors 5 the total number of participants (N=37), the results found that within subjects, color, math and congruency had an effect on the number of positively identified items in each picture, F (1, 33) = 4.336, p = This effect can be seen in Figure 1 by comparing the difference between congruent pictures presented in color with no math and noncongruent pictures presented in black and white with math. The between subjects results showed that color had an effect on the number of positively identified items per picture, F (1, 33) = 8.854, p = 0.005, suggesting that when color was present, participants were more likely to remember items that were in the picture. This effect is also seen in Figure 1 when comparing the means of correctly identified items in grayscale pictures with color pictures across congruency. In another between subjects analysis, math was shown to almost have a significant effect on identification of items that were not present in the picture, F (1, 33) = 3.957, p = 0.055, suggesting that when math was present, participants were more likely to think that an item was in the picture when it actually was not. Conclusion The results suggest that color and congruency of objects in a picture positively affect the recall of the items. In contrast, the math problems negatively affect the items recalled. It is possible that color allows items to be distinguishable in pictures, whereas items in black and white pictures may blend in more if the hues are similar to the background. It may be that color makes items more noticeable and therefore easier to remember. Future studies may want to further investigate whether or not participants remember a particular object s form, color, or form and color when recalled from short term memory. The results of congruency imply that within subjects, items that are congruent with the setting are recalled more often when the picture is in color with no math distractor. As expected, participants were more likely to correctly recall items in pictures without math problem distractors in the given time lapse. Future studies may

6 Color, Congruency and Distractors 6 want to further explore congruency and distractor effects on recall from short term memory without color to see if there is a relation between congruent items and settings along with levels of distraction. While significance was found, future studies may want to randomize the order of pictures presented in order to reduce practice and fatigue effects, as well as provide a practice picture to identify objects from before data collection begins.

7 Color, Congruency and Distractors 7 Reference Solso, R. L., MacLin, M. K., & MacLin, O. H. (2005). Cognitive psychology. Boston: Pearson Education, Inc..

8 Color, Congruency and Distractors 8 Figure 1. Means of correctly identified items between subjects Mean of Correctly Identified Items Congruent Noncongruent BW no math BW math Color no math Color math