225k views
3 votes
Godden and Baddeley (1975) had divers study words in one of two contexts (on land or under water) and recall the words in one of two contexts (on land or under water). Results indicated that recall for both groups was greater:

a. under water - the more unusual context.
b. if tested in the context not used for studying - a contrast effect.
c. on land - the more familiar context.
d. if tested in the same context in which they studied - a context effect.

1 Answer

7 votes

Final answer:

The Godden and Baddeley's divers study demonstrates a context effect where recall was greater when the test context matched the study context. This aligns with other studies showing the importance of context in memory and cognition, which varies across cultures.

Step-by-step explanation:

The experiment conducted by Godden and Baddeley in 1975 that involved divers studying words on land or underwater and recalling them in one of those contexts demonstrates an example of context-dependent memory. The correct answer to the question presented is d. if tested in the same context in which they studied - a context effect. This finding ties into a broader psychological principle that memory can be enhanced when the context at recall matches the context at encoding. Other studies have supported similar findings, showing that context can also impact other cognitive processes and is influenced by cultural background. For example, research by Masuda and Nisbett (2001) showed cultural differences in attention to visual stimuli, and Craik and Endel Tulving (1975) found that memory retention varied with the level of processing (visual, acoustic, or semantic).

User Alen Alexander
by
8.6k points