This experiment examined the effects semantic clustering has on memory, and whether it improves memorization ability. Ten adult participants were tested on their ability to memorize two different lists of 25 words. One of the lists was unsorted and the words had no similarities to each other. The other list, sorted by category, was semantically clustered. Each participant was given one minute to memorize the list, and then another minute to recall and write down as many words from the list as they could remember. This process was repeated for the second list. One half of the participants received the unsorted list first; the other half received the sorted list first. It was hypothesized that more words would be recalled from the clustered list rather than the unsorted list. The results of the experiment confirmed the hypothesis. Each participant in this experiment recalled more words from the sorted list rather than the unsorted list, and the results were statistically significant. The results are discussed in terms of their applications and importance as a proper technique for improving memorization ability. Recommendations for future research are also discussed.
