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Imagine you are designing a research study to test a friend's memory retention using the exact same operational methodology pioneered by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885. How would you design the stimulus materials and measure the retention of your participant?

Question: Imagine you are designing a research study to test a friend's memory retention using the exact same operational methodology pioneered by Hermann Ebbinghaus in 1885. How would you design the stimulus materials and measure the retention of your participant?

Sample answer: I would create lists of nonsense syllables as the stimulus materials for my participant to memorize. To measure retention, I would have them learn the lists initially and then test their ability to relearn those same lists at various set time intervals, measuring the difference in learning effort.

Key points:

  • Creating lists of nonsense syllables as stimulus materials to control for prior knowledge.
  • Measuring retention via the ability/effort required to relearn the lists.
  • Testing the relearning at systematically varied time intervals.

Rubric: The response must apply Ebbinghaus's design: 1) creating stimulus materials consisting of nonsense syllables, and 2) measuring retention by testing the participant's ability to relearn the lists at various time intervals.

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Updated 2026-05-27

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Research Methods in Psychology - 4th American Edition @ KPU

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