(a) Partial-report procedure
(b) Whole-report procedure
(c) Self-report procedure
(d) Backward procedure
Iconic Memory: Sperling's Procedures
George Sperling's seminal 1960 research focused on understanding the properties of iconic memory, the very brief visual sensory memory store.
Sperling employed and compared specific methods to measure the capacity and duration of this memory:
- Whole-Report Procedure: In this method, participants viewed an array of letters for a short duration and were then asked to recall as many letters as possible. Results typically showed recall of only 4 to 5 items, suggesting a limited capacity.
- Partial-Report Procedure: This method involved presenting the letter array followed by a tone cue (high, medium, or low pitch) indicating which specific row of letters the participant should recall. This cue was presented shortly after the visual display disappeared.
The partial-report procedure was crucial. It allowed Sperling to estimate the full capacity of iconic memory because participants could accurately recall the cued items even when the cue was delayed slightly. This indicated that all letters were initially registered in iconic memory, but decayed rapidly if not attended to or reported.
Therefore, Sperling studied iconic memory using the partial-report procedure.
Important Questions from Memory
Which among the following is incorrect about cache memory?
- _______viruses are embedded in a system's memory so it can be reactivated if the original virus is deleted.
Which among the following statements is incorrect about secondary memory?
- ______memory is sometimes used to increase the speed of processing by making current programs and data available to the CPU at a rapid rate.
Which among the following registers in Instruction Cycle holds the last instruction fetched?
