PSY305: Briefly Explain the rationale behind the Levels of Processing Theory and the Predicted Outcome of a Levels of Processing Experiment: Cognitive Psychology: Exploring the Mind Assignment, SUSS, Singapore

Question 1

Examine the Levels of Processing (LOP) theory and answer the following questions.

a) Briefly explain the rationale behind the Levels of Processing theory and the predicted outcome of a Levels of Processing experiment.

b) Briefly discuss how having prior knowledge about the Levels of Processing theory might affect the experimental outcome. Provide empirical evidence to support your argument.

Question 2

There will be 2 participant groups in our experimental study as follows:

Once you have achieved a good understanding of the Levels of Processing theory, follow the login instructions on how to access CogLab experiments in PSY305 CogLab Instructions.pdf and complete the CogLab Levels of Processing experiment.

Your data for Group 1: The CogLab Levels of Processing experiment has 3 conditions in

Phase 1: shallow, intermediate, and deep processing. Your task is to do your best to remember the words under all 3 conditions by engaging in deep processing. Deep processing can be achieved by deliberately thinking about the meaning of each word presented in addition to responding to the question.

Step 1: Enter your results in the PSY305 TMA01 Question 2 (CogLab data).xlsm file before administering the same CogLab experiment to your participation as your data will be overwritten by your participant’s data.

Your participant’s data for Group 2: Without explaining the Levels of Processing theory, administer the same CogLab Levels of Processing experiment to your participant.

Step 2: Enter your participant’s results in the PSY305 TMA01 Question 2 (CogLab data).xlsm file and activate the data submission form before the TMA01 submission deadline.

Question 3

Our experimental study on the Levels of Processing theory compares the performance between participants who were aware of this theory and deliberately engaged in deep processing for better results (i.e., you) and those who were not aware of this theory (i.e., recruited by you).

Research question: Does deliberate learning (as opposed to incidental learning), where deep processing is applied, result in better memory retrieval?

The pre-determined experimental design is a 2 x 2 design involving 2 independent variables with 2 levels each. Based on this design, there will be 3 experimental hypotheses:

H1: Comparing the levels within IV1
H2: Comparing the levels within IV2
H3: Interaction between IV1 and IV2 – to be done in TMA02
a) State the following:
• Independent Variable 1 (IV1) and the levels within this variable
• Independent Variable 2 (IV2) and the levels within this variable
Hint: If, for example, “gender” is the independent variable, then “male” and “female” are the levels within the variable.
• Dependent Variable (DV)

b) Which of the following experimental designs was adopted? Within-participants, between participants, or mixed design.

c) Formulate experimental hypotheses H1 and H2 and their corresponding null hypotheses.

Question 4

Conduct a literature review and prepare the Introduction section of the experimental report. You should report relevant empirical research findings that logically lead to experimental hypotheses H1 and H2 stated in Question 3c. You may also use information from Question 1.

Question 5

Prepare the following sub-parts of the Methods section of the experimental report.

a) Materials: State which online CogLab experiment was administered using a computer, and include the URL within brackets.

b) Procedure: The procedure should be described clearly, concisely and with just enough detail for others to replicate your study. Do not copy, word-for-word, the procedure presented in CogLab as it is too lengthy and too detailed. Summarise the procedure appropriately and write it up succinctly in your own words with minimal reliance on the wordings in CogLab.

You should provide details about the number of trials in each experimental condition, the order in which the trials were presented (whether in a particular sequence or randomly mixed), how the participants were required to respond to the stimuli, and how the responses were measured.

Remember to write the Procedure section in the past tense as you are writing about something you have already completed.