SEM540b. Graphics and HCI
Class Exercise for Week 3. Short-term memory.

Experiment: “I went to market ....”

In your group, the first person says “I went to market and a bought a --- (insert whatever item of produce takes your fancy).
The second person says “I went to market and I bought a --- and a ---” (The first person might have specified a cheese, then the second a cheese and a bread roll, the third a cheese, a bread roll and a cucumber and so on). Continue the process with each person adding another item to the list. Keep going around the the group until the list has grown so long that you cannot remember it correctly.

Having tried this once to get the feel of it, then repeat it making a record of what happens. Note the first time someone gets it wrong and then record the number of items that each of you can remember successfully. Some of you should be able to remember more than others. Repeat the exercise with several different lists and then calculate average scores for each member of the group and the group as a whole.

Express the group score as a range X-Y to X+Y where X is the group average and Y is chosen so that 80% of the group are included in the range.

Bring these results to the lecture at 11 o’clock.

Questions to consider:
What does this tell you about short-term memory?
What do you do that helps you to remember?
What do you estimate is the typical capacity of human short-term memory?
Is this game a good test for short-term memory?