Story Linking and Memory Recall
Medium
Can you remember more words by hearing them in a story instead of on flash cards? You show 20 participants ten animal names on cards for 10 seconds each. After a break, they write down every name they remember.
In a second test, you read a short story that contains ten different animal names. After the same break, participants write those names down too. Participants recall more animal names from the story than from the flash cards every time.
Hypothesis
The hypothesis is that linking a story to an item which needs to be memorized, helps to improve memory retention.
Method & Materials
You will need to gather 10 boys and 10 girls aged between 12 and 15 years, 10 flash cards each containing an animal name, a story about 300 words long and containing 10 names of different animals, a quiet room to conduct the test, 40 blank sheets of paper, 20 pencils, a stop watch, and an assistant.
You will need 10 flash cards each containing an animal name, a story about 300 words long and containing 10 names of different animals, a quiet room to conduct the test, 40 blank sheets of paper, 20 pencils, a stop watch, and an assistant.
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See what’s includedResults
The results show that converting the items to be remembered into a story helps to retain the memory better than simply trying to memorize the names alone. This observation stands out as it shows that story linking is an effective way to improve memory.
Why do this project?
This science project is interesting and unique because it explores a new way to improve memory. It is also a great way to learn about the different techniques that can be used to help improve memory.
Also Consider
To improve the reliability and accuracy of the results, a larger sample of participants should be used. This science project may also be repeated, this time, by using a card with 10 words and a picture with 10 objects to compare which method helps retain memory better.
Full project details
Additional information and source material for this project are available below.Related videos
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