In this experiment, we will show you English words one at a time and ask you one of two questions about each word.
Sometimes, we will ask you whether a word belongs to a specific category. For example, we might ask you whether FOOTBALL is a type of sport (the correct answer is 'TRUE'), or whether PATIO is a type of school subject (the correct answer is 'FALSE').
Other times, we will ask you whether a word rhymes with another word. For example, we might ask you whether FOOTBALL rhymes with shortfall (the correct answer is 'TRUE'), or whether PATIO rhymes with hinge (the correct answer is 'FALSE').
Please answer each question as quickly as you can without making mistakes. You can use the "TRUE" and "FALSE" buttons that will appear under each question, or you can press "t" or "f" on your keyboard.
Click on the button below to continue.
Next, we will test your memory for the words you just saw but in a weird way. We will show you words one at a time. Some of them will rhyme with a word from the list you just answered questions about (the words in all capital letters) and some of them will not rhyme with any of those words.
Please indicate whether you think you answered a question about a word that rhymes with the presented word. You will respond using a slider that moves from -100 to +100. +100 means that you are absolutely certain that you DID answer a question about a rhyming word. -100 means that you are absolutely certain that the word did NOT answer a question about a rhyming word. After you move the slider to the position you want, click the "NEXT" button to see the next word or press "enter" on your keyboard. You must move the slider away from 0 on each trial. You will not be able to go back and change your answers.
Click on the button below to continue.
PLEASE MOVE THE SLIDER BEFORE SUBMITTING YOUR RESPONSE
Did we ask you a question about a word that rhymes with
First, thank you very much for taking part in our study.
In this experiment, you were first asked whether words belong to certain categories or rhyme with other words. Later, we tested your memory for words that rhymed with the original words. Another set of participants answered the same questions, but were more directly prompted with the actual words from the original task.
It is well established that the relationship between encoding and retrieval is a key predictor of memory performance. For example, we would expect you to remember words processed for rhyming better than words processed for rhyming. However, the other participants would likely be able to perform standard memory more effectively for word processed for meaning than words processed for rhyming.
We are conducting a large-scale replication of this finding in order to test predictions from a computational / mathematical model of memory. Previously published results have historically used very small samples (e.g., 30 people), making estimates of performance unreliable. We are conducting a high-precision version of the experiment to most effectively test models and theories of human memory.
If you have any questions about the research, please contact Dr. Evan Curtis at evan.curtis@boothuc.ca or 1-204-924-4881.
Research publications typically require reporting on participant demographics. If you can please answer the following two questions, it would be greatly appreciated. If you would like to receive a summary of the results, please provide your email in the space below (please note that this is optional; we do not need your email address if you do not wish to receive a summary of the results).
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