A comparison between the effects of functional versus factual information on memory for tools.

Abstract

This project's aim was to compare the effects of thinking about functional information versus factual information on memory recall. 51 participants were given three tasks in which they were shown 44 images of ambiguous tools. In the first task participants were asked to rate whether they recognised both the tool and its function. In the second task participants were again shown the images accompanied by either two functional options or two factual options. They then were asked to choose which option they thought was correct after which they were told if they were correct or not. In the final task participants were again shown the images and were asked to input any information they could recall about the information shown. The results showed that humans have a higher recall hit rate when thinking about the function of a tool compared to a fact.