In a Classic Memory Study by Peterson and Peterson (1959)

Multiple Choice

In a classic memory study by Peterson and Peterson (1959) , participants were given consonant strings to remember-such as DBX and HLM-and then were instructed to count backward from 100 by 3. After a variable amount of time (delay) , the participants were asked to recall the consonant strings. Which statement accurately describes the results of the experiment?

A) There was no decrease in recall accuracy until the delay reached about 20 seconds.
B) A 3-second delay decreased accuracy by almost 80 percent.
C) A 20-second delay decreased accuracy by over 80 percent.
D) There was no decrease in recall accuracy until the delay reached about 7 seconds.