When Peterson and Peterson demonstrated the decay of short-term memory over a delay,why did they ask people to count backward by threes during the delay?
A)To develop procedural memory
B)To increase chunking
C)To increase depth of processing
D)To prevent rehearsal

Question

When Peterson and Peterson demonstrated the decay of short-term memory over a delay,why did they ask people to count backward by threes during the delay?
A)To develop procedural memory
B)​To increase chunking
C)​To increase depth of processing
D)​To prevent rehearsal

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Peterson and Peterson asked people to count backward by threes during the delay because they wanted to prevent rehearsal, which would otherwise allow participants to maintain information in their short-term memory. By having participants engage in another task during the delay, the researchers could better demonstrate the limited duration of short-term memory.

When Peterson and Peterson Demonstrated the Decay of Short-Term Memory