AQA A Level Psychology Memory Studies: Must Know, Should Know & Could Know
AQA A Level Psychology (2027 Specification)
One of the most common questions I hear from students is:
"There are so many studies in Memory. Which ones do I actually need to revise?"
It's a great question. Many students spend hours trying to memorise every piece of research they come across, but successful revision isn't about knowing more studies—it's about knowing the right studies and understanding how to use them in your exam answers.
As an AQA Psychology examiner, I encourage my students to prioritise their revision. I've divided the key Memory studies into three categories:
✅ Must Know – essential studies every student should know.
⭐ Should Know – studies that strengthen your evaluation and understanding.
💡 Could Know – additional research that can help students aiming for the highest grades demonstrate wider psychological knowledge.
✅ Must Know Studies
These studies form the backbone of the Memory topic. You should know the aim, procedure, findings, conclusions and how each study can be used in an exam answer.
1. K.F. – Shallice and Warrington
Aim
To investigate the effects of brain damage on different types of memory.
Procedure
K.F. suffered brain damage following a motorcycle accident. Researchers assessed his performance on a variety of memory tasks to identify which aspects of memory had been affected.
Findings
K.F. had a severely impaired short-term memory but a relatively intact long-term memory. He could remember events from before his accident and was able to form some new long-term memories despite his poor short-term memory.
Researchers also found that his visual short-term memory was much better than his verbal short-term memory.
Why is it important?
The findings challenged the original Multi-Store Model.
Rather than supporting the idea that information must always pass through a single short-term memory store before entering long-term memory, K.F.'s case suggested:
STM and LTM are separate memory systems.
Short-term memory is more complex than originally proposed.
Different components of STM may exist.
These findings helped pave the way for the Working Memory Model.
Examiner's Tip
Students often write:
"K.F. supports the Multi-Store Model."
A stronger answer would be:
"K.F. provides evidence that STM and LTM are separate stores but also suggests that STM consists of different components, which challenges the simplicity of the Multi-Store Model."
2. Godden and Baddeley (1975)
Aim
To investigate whether recall is improved when learning and retrieval occur in the same environment.
Procedure
Deep-sea divers learned lists of words either underwater or on land.
Later, they recalled the words either in the same environment or in the opposite environment.
Findings
Participants recalled significantly more words when the learning and recall environments matched.
For example:
Underwater → Underwater = better recall
Land → Land = better recall
Why is it important?
The study provides strong evidence for context-dependent forgetting.
Environmental cues present during learning become associated with the memory and help trigger recall later.
This supports the explanation of retrieval failure, which suggests forgetting often occurs because appropriate retrieval cues are absent rather than because memories have disappeared.
Examiner's Tip
This study is excellent evidence for retrieval failure but remember to evaluate it.
Learning lists of unrelated words while scuba diving is not particularly representative of everyday learning, so ecological validity may be limited.
3. Loftus and Palmer (1974)
Aim
To investigate whether leading questions influence eyewitness testimony.
Procedure
Participants watched films of road traffic accidents before answering questions about what they had seen.
The critical question asked:
"How fast were the cars going when they smashed, collided, bumped, hit or contacted each other?"
In a second experiment, participants were later asked whether they had seen broken glass.
Findings
Participants who heard stronger verbs estimated significantly higher speeds.
Those hearing the word 'smashed' were also much more likely to report seeing broken glass, even though none was present.
Why is it important?
The study demonstrates that memory is reconstructive rather than a perfect recording of events.
Information introduced after an event can alter the original memory.
This has important implications for police interviewing techniques and courtroom evidence.
Examiner's Tip
Don't just remember the speed estimates.
Many exam questions reward students who also mention the broken glass findings, as they provide stronger evidence that memories can actually become distorted.
4. Johnson and Scott (1976)
Aim
To investigate whether anxiety affects the accuracy of eyewitness testimony.
Procedure
Participants believed they were waiting to take part in another experiment.
One group overheard a calm conversation before seeing a man leave carrying a pen covered in grease.
The second group overheard an argument followed by breaking glass before seeing a man leave carrying a bloodstained letter opener.
Participants were later asked to identify the man from a set of photographs.
Findings
Participants in the low-anxiety condition correctly identified the man far more often than those who witnessed the threatening situation.
Why is it important?
The findings support the weapon focus effect.
High levels of anxiety appear to narrow attention onto the source of danger, reducing memory for peripheral details such as the offender's appearance.
Examiner's Tip
This study is often paired with Yuille and Cutshall, who found the opposite effect in a real-life shooting.
Being able to compare these findings produces stronger AO3 evaluation.
⭐ Should Know Studies
These studies strengthen your understanding of memory and provide useful supporting evidence when evaluating explanations and models.
Baddeley (1966)
Baddeley investigated how information is coded in short-term and long-term memory.
He found that short-term memory mainly uses acoustic coding, whereas long-term memory relies more on semantic coding.
Why learn it?
It provides strong evidence for the different characteristics of STM and LTM and supports the Multi-Store Model.
Miller (1956)
Miller proposed that short-term memory has a capacity of approximately 7 ± 2 items.
Although more recent research suggests the capacity may be lower, Miller's research remains one of the most influential studies in memory.
Why learn it?
It supports the limited capacity of STM and frequently appears alongside the features of the Multi-Store Model.
Peterson and Peterson (1959)
Participants memorised trigrams before counting backwards to prevent rehearsal.
Recall fell rapidly after around 18 seconds.
Why learn it?
Provides evidence that STM has a very limited duration unless information is actively rehearsed.
Bahrick et al. (1975)
Participants recognised former classmates from high-school yearbooks many years after leaving school.
Recognition remained remarkably accurate, even after several decades.
Why learn it?
Provides strong evidence that long-term memory can last for many years and may even be permanent.
💡 Could Know Studies
These studies extend your knowledge and are particularly useful for students aiming for the highest grades.
Squire (2009)
Squire reviewed evidence from neuropsychological research and brain imaging.
His work highlighted the crucial role of the hippocampus and medial temporal lobe in forming new declarative long-term memories.
Why learn it?
It provides biological support for theories of long-term memory and creates useful links between Memory and Biopsychology.
Baddeley and Hitch (1974)
They proposed the Working Memory Model, replacing the idea of a single STM with multiple interacting components:
Central Executive
Phonological Loop
Visuo-Spatial Sketchpad
(Later) Episodic Buffer
Why learn it?
This model explains everyday tasks such as reading, reasoning and multitasking much better than the Multi-Store Model.
Sutherland and Hayne (2001)
Their research demonstrated that retrieval is more successful when the context at recall matches the context during learning.
Why learn it?
It provides further support for context-dependent retrieval and strengthens evaluation of retrieval failure.
Köhnken et al. (1999)
This review examined the effectiveness of the Cognitive Interview.
The researchers concluded that the Cognitive Interview consistently increases the amount of correct information recalled without producing a large increase in inaccurate details.
Why learn it?
It provides excellent AO3 evidence when evaluating the Cognitive Interview.
How Should You Revise These Studies?
Rather than trying to memorise every detail equally, prioritise your revision.
If you're aiming for a C grade
Focus on the Must Know studies.
Learn:
Aim
Procedure
Findings
Conclusion
If you're aiming for a B grade
Know the Must Know studies plus the Should Know studies so you can strengthen your AO3 evaluation.
If you're aiming for an A or A*
Use the Could Know studies selectively to demonstrate wider psychological knowledge where they genuinely add to your answer.
Remember, quality is far more important than quantity.
Final Examiner Advice
One of the biggest mistakes students make is trying to include as many studies as possible.
Examiners aren't awarding marks for long lists of research.
They're looking for accurate, relevant knowledge that answers the question.
If you know your Must Know studies thoroughly, support your answers with the Should Know studies, and occasionally bring in a Could Know study where appropriate, you'll be in an excellent position to achieve high marks.
📚 Summer Psychology Academy
This blog is part of my free Summer Psychology Academy, where I'm helping AQA A Level Psychology students strengthen their Paper 1 knowledge before September.
Follow me on Instagram @studypsychology_with_jane for:
✅ Must Know, Should Know & Could Know studies
🎓 Examiner AO3 tips
🧠 True or False revision challenges
Good luck with your revision!