1) The first article I chose to write a summary on is based on the idea that short-term memory doesn’t grow more imprecise over the course of time but just shuts down completely. Weiwew Zhang, a postdoctoral scholar, and Steve Luck, a professor of psychology discovered this new idea trough a pair of tests which separately measured two main things the accuracy of short-term memory and the probability that the memory still existed. The tests were given to 12 different adults. The first test consisted of showing three squares each filled with different colors on a computer. After each square a wheel showing all spectrum of colors appeared on the screen and after the three squares reappeared. When the three squares reappeared they were colorless and one was highlighted. The individuals were asked to remember and click on he are of the wheel that matched the color of the highlighted square. They were asked to repeat the test 150 times. When subjects did remember the color from memory they clicked a matching color very close. The distance between the click and the actual color indicated the accuracy of memory for each individual. While in some cases when color disappeared from memory subjects clicked at random in the wheel. The second test was very similar but used shapes instead of colors. The study found that the actual truth is that individuals either have a memory or don’t have it. The memories did not gradually fade away. The findings and Luck explain how memories don't fade or become weaker but just shut down completely. This finding helps understand how important decisions shouldn't be based on weak and inaccurate memories.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/04/090429091806.htm
2) The second article posted in Science Daily talks and discusses how emotional memories and memories linked to any visual aids can be very powerful and extremely hard to isolate or forget. Keith Payne and former psychology student Elizabeth Corrigan found that any negative or even "mild" emotional events are very hard to erase. The article mentions how when individuals try to forget information they first need to mentally isolate that information and then block off the information they don't want to recall. Though emotion undermines these steps and makes memories hard to isolate do to their strong impact and how easily they can be accessed. The UNC study asked 218 participants to remember or recall photographs instead of text. The article mentions how a word murder may or may not create fear while a violent picture will create a more powerful emotion and impact. Researchers found that the individuals could not intentionally forget emotional events as they might easily erase ordinary events. A great example is how a rape or a violent crash will always be remembered and will form a big part of the victim’s life even though their desire to control and isolate the memory is very influential. The study findings can help understand how an emotion creates certain limits and boundaries on the ability to control the mind and its content.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070815105026.htm
3) The third article I read online in the Science Daily was actually extremely interesting and talked about how individuals are exposed to several marketing messages daily, the messages are presented in several languages but are most effective or have a greater impact in the individuals native language. The authors of the study Stefano Puntoni, Bart de Langhe and Stijn van Osselaer studied bilingual and trilingual populations in Europe tested different slogans with certain subjects and viewed the differences in how the messages were perceived. In general they discovered messages expressed in the consumers native language created a more emotional impact and as a result was more effective. The authors expressed how they believe the effect is not based on the difference of language but how the individuals associate their native language to certain memories. For example the hearing or reading of a word in one's native language may unconsciously trigger a memory. During there study they also discovered that the effect was more present in women than in men. They believe this is due to the fact that women have a stronger memory for emotional events. The results demonstrated how it is more effective to communicate a message in the subject’s native language due to the fact it will create a greater impact trough emotion. This study may help international companies willing to expand and grow their incomes in new lands. For example if Forever 21 was opening a store in Honduras to have more effective publicity they should communicate trough the population’s native language which is Spanish.
Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/12/081215111433.htm
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