CHAPTER 8 - Everyday memories & Memory Errors

Question 1

What are autobiographical memories?

Answer 1

Memory for specific experiences from our life, which can include both episodic and semantic components.

Question 2

What are two important characteristics of autobiographical memories?

Answer 2

1. Multidimensional
   (visual, auditory, smells, taste, tactile perceptions) (spatial components)(involve emotions- both positive and negative)
2. We remember some events in our life better than others.

Question 3

Which parts of the brain is associated with episodic memories?

Answer 3

The medial temporal lobe (MTL)

Question 4

Which area of the brain is associated with processing scenes?

Answer 4

The parietal cortex.

Question 5

Which part of he brain was activated when looking at pictures a person took themselves and why? (2)

Answer 5

1. The prefrontal cortex, which is associated with processing information about the self.
   &
2. In the hippocampus, which is involved in recollection (memories associated with mental time travel)

Question 6

Which type of memories are in autobiographical memories? (2)

Answer 6

1. Semantic
2. Episodic

Question 7

Memories often involve…. (2)

Answer 7

1. Thoughts
2. Emotions

Question 8

What is the reminiscence bump?

Answer 8

The enhanced memory for adolescence and young adulthood found in people over the age of 40.

Question 9

What is the self image hypothesis?

Answer 9

Proposes that memory is enhanced for events that occur as a person’s self image or life identity is being formed.

Question 10

[Memory over the life span]
What are the 3 hypothesis explaining the reminiscence bump?

Answer 10

1. The self-image hypothesis
2. The cognitive hypothesis
3. Cultural life script

Question 11

What is the cognitive hypothesis?

Answer 11

Periods of rapid change that are followed by stability cause stronger encoding of memories.

Question 12

Autobiographical memories serves to ….

Answer 12

Define ourself, create and regulate social connections and help direct future behaviour

Question 13

What is the cultural life script?

Answer 13

Culturally expected events that occur at a particular time in the life span.

Question 14

What is youth bias?

Answer 14

The tendency for the most notable public events in a person’s life to be perceived to occur when the person is young

Question 15

What is a flashbulb memory?

Answer 15

Refers to a person’s memory for the circumstances surrounding shocking, highly charged events.
Refers to memory surrounding how a person heard about an event, NOT the memory for the event itself.

Question 16

What is the explanation for the errors in memory related to flashbulb memories? (2)

Answer 16

1. Affected by ppl’s experiences following the event
   (ex:ppl may have seen accounts of the explosion)
2. Affected by their general knowledge
   (Ex: ppl often hear about important news on the tv)

Question 17

What is narrative rehearsal hypothesis?

Answer 17

We may remember events like those that happened on 9/11 not because of a special mechanism but because we rehearse these events after they occur.
(Ex: plane crash replayed endlessly on tv, events were covered for months in media)

Question 18

IMPORTANT!

Why do we say memory can be “constructed”?

Answer 18

Because people’s memory for an event can be determined by factors in addition to actually experiencing the event. Thus, leading experts to say that memories are ‘constructed’ based on what actually happened + additional influences. (Source monitoring, suggestions, familiarity)

Question 19

What is the constructive nature of memory?

Answer 19

What people report as memories are constructed on what actually happened + additional factors, such as a person’s knowledge, experiences, and expectations.

Question 20

What is source monitoring?

Answer 20

The process of determining the origins of our memories, knowledge, or beliefs.

Question 21

What is a source monitoring error/ missattribution?

Answer 21

Misidentifying the source of a memory

Question 22

What is cryptomnesia?

Answer 22

The unconscious plagiarism of the work of others.
(An example of source monitoring error)

Question 23

What is the illusory truth effect?

Answer 23

The enhanced probability of evaluating a statement as being true upon repeated presentation.
(Repetition increased perceived truth, even if the person knew the correct answer)

Question 24

Why does repetition increase perceived truthfulness?

Answer 24

Fluency- the ease with which a statement can be remembered - influences people’s jugement.

Question 25

What does Bartlett’s “War of the Ghosts” Experiment demonstrate?

Answer 25

That memories can be comprised of details from various sources (1.one way the original story, 2.knowledge about similar strobiles/ culture) relates to source monitoring.

Question 26

What are pragmatic inferences?

Answer 26

When reading a sentence leads a person to expect something that is not explicitly stated or implied by the sentence.

These inferences are based on knowledge gained through experience.

Question 27

What is a schema?

Answer 27

A person’s knowledge about some aspect of the environment.

Question 28

What is a script?

Answer 28

Our conception of the sequence of actions that usually occurs during a particular experience

Question 29

How do schemas contribute to constructed memories

Answer 29

People create false memories and “fill in the blank” with incomplete information that usually occurs during such events or situations

Question 30

What is the misinformation effect?

Answer 30

Misleading information presented after a person witnesses an event can change how the person describes that event later.

This misleading information is referred to as misleading post event information (MPI).

Question 31

What are the consequences of the (Misleading post event information) MPI effect?

Answer 31

Presentation of an MPI can alter what participants report they saw & alter their conclusions about other characteristics of the situation. (Smash = faster driving vs hit= slower driving car, AND report seing broken glass when there was none)

Question 32

Explain why the misinformation effect (MPI) happens?

Answer 32

This effect is based on source monitoring. That is, a person can incorrectly conclude that the source of their memory for the incorrect event (yield sign) was the slide show, even though the actual source was the experimenter’s statement after the slide show.

Question 33

Hearing about an event and then waiting caused the event to emerge a false memory. How can we explain this situation?

Answer 33

This is explained by familiarity.

Familiarity with first expose (when story was told) created a false memory of what happened

Question 34

what are repressed childhood memories?

Answer 34

Memories that have been pushed out of the person’s consciousness

Question 35

What is eyewitness testimony?

Answer 35

Testimony by someone who has witnessed a crime

Question 36

What is weapon focus?

Answer 36

The tendency to focus attention on a weapon that results in narrowing of attention

Note: weapon being fired decreases memory about the perpetrator, the victim, and the weapon

Question 37

What is the post-identification feedback effect? And why is it a problem?

Answer 37

1.Confirming feedback after making an identification.
2. Because the jurors are influenced by how confident the eyewitnesses are about their judgement.

Question 38

What is the cognitive interview? Why is it good to use?

Answer 38

1.Letting witness talk without interruption
2.recreate the situation present at the crime scene.

Because it decreases the likelihood of any suggestive input by the person conducting the interview.