Assessing How Impaired Vision Influences Short Term Memory
Jakeia Glynn
Evelyn Blanche-Payne PhD (Researcher Advisor)
Benedict College Columbia, SC
Abstract
The study investigated whether short term memory among college students differed from students who wear glasses and students who do not wear glasses at all. It was the researcher’s speculation that Benedict College students who do not wear corrective lenses will have a better short term memory than students who do wear corrective lenses at Benedict College. Twenty students (10 with corrective lenses and 10 without corrective lenses) served as participants in the spring semester of 2013 at a Historical Black College. Participants were recruited among lenses, age, and classification. All participants were collected by a non-probability convenient sampling technique. To evaluate whether differences were present, The Short Term Memory: Encoding and Rehearsal test was administered by the current researcher for this particular study. The findings revealed that students with impaired vision does not influence short term memory with pictures and words (t18=.68, p>.05) (t18=.338, p>.05). Obviously, short term memory does not hinder individuals with impaired vision.

Introduction
Do individuals with corrective lens have better memory than individuals who do not wear corrective lenses? Individuals memory can increase or decrease depending on the words or pictures. According to Todd & Marois (2004) at any instant, our visual system allows us to perceive a rich and detailed visual world. Yet our internal, explicit representation of this visual world is extremely sparse we can only hold in mind a minute fraction of the visual scene. These mental representations are stored in visual short-term memory (VSTM). Even though VSTM is essential for the execution of a wide array of perceptual and cognitive functions, and is supported by an extensive network of brain regions, its storage capacity is severely limited (Todd & Marois, 2004).
Potter, Mary, Ellen, and Levy (1969) examined memory for visual events occurring at the rate of eye fixations. During experiment 1, 48 undergraduates were shown 8 films of 16 unrelated pictures presented at for 8 seconds. In experiment 2 with 32 seconds, rates were mixed within each sequence to determine whether the probability of recognizing 1 item is independent of the presentation time of the previous item. Researchers found that rapidly presented pictures are processed 1 by 1 for precisely the time each is in view and are not held with other items in a short-term store as has been reported for verbal material. (PsycINFO Database Record 2012 APA)

Despite the lack of supportive evidence, the researcher proposes that Benedict College students who do not wear corrective lenses will have a better short term memory than students who do wear corrective lenses at Benedict College.
Method
Sample A total of twenty (N=20) individuals across Southeastern United States served as participants (Pp) in the present study. A non-probability convenient sample was conducted in the spring semester of 2013. The study investigated the difference between students who wear corrective lenses and students who do not wear corrective lenses short term memory ability. Ten African American with corrective lens and ten African Americans without corrective lenses were recruited across education level and age to serve in the present study.
Instrument
The instrument used to assess short term memory among college students differed from students who wear glasses and students who do not wear glasses was the The Short Term Memory: Encoding and Rehearsal (STHEM). The experiment consisted of seven pictures and seven words. Here is a sample of the experiment below to illustrate each type of inquiry.

Procedure The STHEM was administered during the spring semester of 2013. The participants were selected using a non-probability convenient sample at various locations on a Historical