Dr. Fernald is conducting a memory experiment. One group of participants has to decide whether each of a list of words begins with the same letter as a target word; a second group has to determine whether each of a list of words rhymes with a target word; finally, a third group has to determine whether each of a list of words is a synonym or an antonym of a target word. Later, all participants are asked to recall the list words. According to the levels of processing framework, which group will perform the best and which group will perform the worst?
A)best - synonym/antonym group; worst - same letter group
B)best - same letter group; worst - synonym/antonym group
C)best - rhyme group; worst - same letter group
D)The theory suggests that the groups should perform equivalently.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The levels of processing framework suggests that deeper, semantic processing (such as determining synonyms or antonyms) leads to better memory retention than shallower, phonological (rhyming) or orthographic (same letter) processing. Therefore, the synonym/antonym group, which engages in deeper processing, is expected to perform the best, while the same letter group, engaging in the shallowest form of processing, is expected to perform the worst.

Dr Fernald Is Conducting a Memory Experiment