EXPLORING THE INFLUENCE OF CENTRAL EXECUTIVE ON MEMORY DURING LEARNING AMONG UNDERGRADUATES

Abstract

The process of change from schools to higher institutions can be challenging to some undergraduates. They may feel overwhelmed with new information and how to store them in their memory. Some are able to recall information even from distant past because they are able to store the information in their memory.  Memory is important for learning because it acts as a storage system for the attained knowledge. There are several types of memory. Upon first encounter with the information, a person stores it immediately in the sensory memory. If the information is properly stored, it gets transferred to the long-term memory storage. This quantitative study explores undergraduates’ perception on their use of memory for learning.  A purposive sample of 113 participants responded to the survey. The instrument used is a 5 Likert-scale survey. The survey has 4 sections. Section A has items on demographic profile. Section B has 6 items on sensory memory. Section C has 13 items on central executive and section D has 6 items on long-term memory. Analysis of findings reveal is also a strong positive relationship between sensory memory and central executive. Findings also has shown that there is also a strong positive relationship between central executive and long-term memory. This means that learners are aware that information that is temporarily stored will be transferred to the central executive. In the classroom setting, This transfer process is influenced by activities carefully planned by the instructor. The success of these activities will then affect the transfer of the information to learners’ long-term memory. The findings of this study bear interesting implications on how teachers can better understand how learners store information in order to maximise learning.