Week 4: How Good Is Your Memory?

Test 1: Verbal Memory Test
For the first test, I completed the Verbal Memory Test. For this test, there were three stages. In the first stage, I had to rate a series of 40 words either very pleasant, mildly pleasant, mildly unpleasant, or very unpleasant. In stage 2, I had 40 blank lines and had to remember as many words as I could. In stage 3, I was given 40 questions where they gave me 2 words and I had to identify which word was in the original series of words. My recall score was 6 and my recognition score was 38. Both scores are reported to be exactly average for a healthy person. I was kind of surprised by this because I usually have an above average memory. However, I did not know that I needed to remember the words for a recall test, so that may have affected my score.


Test 2: Short-Term Memory Test
The second test I did was the Short-Term Memory Test. This test worked by giving me a list of 12 words to memorize. After looking at the words, I was given 12 blanks to write down all the words I could remember. Out of the 12 words, I correctly remembered six. This means my short-term memory is average, as according to the study by George A. Miller, the average short-term memory is 7 items +/- 2. This means that any number between 5 and 9 is counted as average. I felt that this test was pretty valid because the methodology seemed strong, but there was no time limit on the amount of time I could spend memorizing the words, so that could influence the results for some people.

Test 3: Psychology Today Memory Test 51/100
The last test I did was the Psychology Today memory test. This test asked me 7 questions about my memory in my everyday life, like if I have difficulty remembering names or where I put my wallet/ keys. I scored a 51/100, which the test described as a fairly good memory with occasional lapses. However, I felt that this test was not very valid as it only asked 7 questions and didn't actually try to make me memorize things.