Ben, Coleen and Khalil, need to learn the local traffic rules for a test before they are allowed to drive. Describe and evaluate the Levels of Processing framework, with reference to how the group of friends might learn the traffic rules (12 points)

Levels of Processing is a theory which states that memory is dependent on the depth of processing taking place whilst encoding information. Deep levels of processing will lead to stronger memory traces whereas shallow processing will cause memory trace to decay quickly. Craik and Lockhart (1972) proposed a hierarchy of processing levels: structural, phonemic and semantic. In structural processing, the focus in on the appearance of the words and/or objects. For instance, in this case, if Coleen, Khalil and Ben were to look at the shapes or colours of traffic signs in order to keep them in mind, they would be semantically processing the information. However that would not be ideal, as structural processing was found to be the least effective processing; it leads to shallow processing and causes information to be forgotten more quickly than the remaining two levels of processing. Secondly, phonemic processing requires encoding to take place based on the sound of the words. So, if Ben, Coleen and Khalil created a rhyme on traffic signs and sang it, it could be a more effective way of recalling information than simply looking at the signs. However, this is still not the best level of processing, and is less useful than semantic processing, which produces the highest levels of recall. In semantic processing, individuals have to understand the meaning behind the information to be encoded and put it into use in order to strengthen that understanding. Therefore, in this case, Ben, Coleen and Khalil can make up games where they are in traffic and have to make use of traffic rules. This way, they will be more likely to keep that information in their minds and will recall it more easily. There is a strong empirical support for Levels of Processing theory. Firstly, Craik and Tulving (1975) found that semantic processing produced the highest number of words recalled, whereas structural led to the worst. Additionally, Hyde ad Jenkins (1971) showed that adding meaning during processing caused better recall of words. However, there are a number of problems with this theory too. Firstly, there is uncertainty as to whether ‘deep’ processing is actually successful, or it is because of the time it takes to process words. For instance, it may be that the reason for Ben, Coleen and Khalil to recall information encoded during their game is the time spent playing that game, rather than the game itself. After all, it takes longer to give meaning to something and apply that knowledge to strengthen this understanding than just looking at shapes of the words. Therefore, there is a weak causation relationship between depth and good recall levels. Secondly, as both of the experiments mentioned were laboratory experiments, they lack the reality of the real world, and it cannot be ascertained whether the results reflect real life or not, thus lacking ecological validity. In this case, the game Khalil, Coleen and Ben play may not actually reflect a real life traffic scenario due to a number of factors which would be absent in the game, such as the stress of driving a car and the risk of hurting oneself. Regardless of these weaknesses, there can be a good application of this theory. For instance, schools can highlight the importance of semantic processing and include learning games so that pupils can learn more effectively as well as reinforcing their knowledge via the game, hence creating stronger memory traces and recall.