A quasi-experimental investigation into the combination of the method of loci and the Dominic system in improving serial digit recall

McKevitt, Conor (2018) A quasi-experimental investigation into the combination of the method of loci and the Dominic system in improving serial digit recall. Undergraduate thesis, Dublin, National College of Ireland.

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Abstract

The extant literature on a memory system known as the Method of Loci (MoL) has investigated its effectiveness in learning lists of highly imaginable concrete items (Legge, Madan, Ng, & Caplan, 2012). Individuals with expert memory ability have reported the use of MoL to learn record breaking strings of digits (Ericsson et al., 2017). However, scant research has looked at the technique’s ability to improve recall for abstract content like digits among novice participants (Derwinger et al., 2003). This study sought to examine the effectiveness of a digit encoding system called the Dominic system (O’Brien, 2013) in improving serial digit recall when coupled with the Method of Loci.

Methods: Participants were randomly assigned to one of two groups; the method of loci and the Dominic system were implanted in the first group (MoLDS group). The method of loci on its own was implanted in the second group (MoL group). Both groups were tasked with learning a sequence of 40 digits in serial order at Time 1 (Pre-Intervention) and at Time 2 (Post-Intervention).

Results: Paired samples t-tests indicated a significant difference in Group 1 for pre-test (M=36.76, SD=14.91) to post-test (M=67.88, SD=29.47), p=.002 Cohen’s d = 1.07

Independent samples t-test revealed a significant difference between post-test scores for the intervention group and the control group with the experimental group (M = 67.88, SD = 29.47) scoring higher than the control group (M = 38.73, SD = 16.59) p=.002 Cohen’s d = 1.26

Discussion : The combination of the method of Loci and the Dominic system may be an effective mnemonic technique for serial digit learning.

Item Type:	Thesis (Undergraduate)
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > Psychology
Divisions:	School of Business > BA (Honours) in Psychology
Depositing User:	Caoimhe Ní Mhaicín
Date Deposited:	22 Oct 2018 10:55
Last Modified:	22 Oct 2018 10:55
URI:	https://norma.ncirl.ie/id/eprint/3269

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