Chapter 8: Everyday Memory and Error

Question 1

When does learning begin, what is an example of this?

Answer 1

shortly after birth

little albert and the implicit conditioning of fears

Question 2

what is infantile amnesia?

Answer 2

the forgetting of all explicit memories from early years

Question 3

when does recognition memory begin?

Answer 3

approx 3 to 4 years old

Question 4

when does autobiographical memory begin?

Answer 4

5 to 6 years old

Question 5

Alberini (2017)

Answer 5

explains infantile amnesia

infants have an underdeveloped hippocampus therefore they…

-have limited ability for system consolidation
-can form implicit memories because those have less hippocampal involvement

Question 6

what are some ways that other senses are integrated with our lifespan autobiographical memory?

Answer 6

proust effect- taste/smell can incite memory
music enhanced memory-sound incited memory

Question 7

expansion on music enhanced memory

Answer 7

(sound incites memory)
-listening to music from youth resulted in increased recall of memories from youth
-memories were more vivid as well

Question 8

as we age we retrieve more memories from…..

Answer 8

recent events & younger years

specifically from the last 5 years and from ages 10 to 30

Question 9

explain the reminiscence bump

Answer 9

the phenomenon where we are able to recall more memories from the ages of 10 to 30

3 theories to explain why this is:
1. self image hypothesis
2. cognitive hypothesis
3. cultural life script hypothesis

Question 10

what is the self image hypothesis?

Answer 10

the hypothesis that events that impact our identity during mid lie is why we remember more from then

Rathbone (2008)
-the average age of identity defining events is 25.1 years old
(relationship events, educational events, career events)

Question 11

what is the cognitive hypothesis?

Answer 11

the hypothesis that we remember more from choices that lead to life stability

Schrauf (1998)
-those who immigrate to a new country gain a bump right before that period
-move to a new country at age 35, then you get a bump for the early 30s

Question 12

what is the cultural life script hypothesis?

Answer 12

the hypothesis that expectations for when important life events determine why we remember more from the 10-30 yo range

berntsen (2004)
when asked what age important life events occur participants said…
-first love (15)
-graduate college (22)
-marriage (26)
-start a family (30)

koppel (2014)
when asked to predict what the most important life moments were participants said…
4/5 of the most cited events occur during the reminiscence bump

Question 13

what do all 3 theories of the reminiscence bump have in common?

Answer 13

strong emotions/stress

Question 14

LaBar (1998)

Answer 14

participants were read a word list while measuring sweat

-neutral words (non-emotion) street, store, book lead to 25% recall
-explicit/sexual words lead to 55% recall

Question 15

the limbic system

Answer 15

a connection of neural networks involved in emotional cognition

hippocampus (memory)
amygdala (emotional experience)

Question 16

what is the HPA axis?

Answer 16

a neural network that coordinates hormones for the limbic system

epinephrine (act)
cortisol (alarm)

Question 17

Cahill (2003)

Answer 17

participants shown photos
-neutral: person standing
-emotional: person injured

after, consolidation of stress (pressor task)
-warm water: comfortable
-ice water: stressful/painful
cortisol was measured before and after water to confirm stress

participants were then given a memory recall task one week later
-those in the ice water condition had 50% better free recall but only for the emotional photos

other 3 conditions were not impacted

Question 18

what are flashbulb memories

Answer 18

rich (detailed) episodic memories surrounding shocking or highly emotional events
ex.) where were you when 9/11 happened
they feel exceptionally accurate, but they are not

Question 19

Neisser (1992)

Answer 19

gave participants a questionnaire das after the challenger disaster

recent: “in class, some people walked in and gave the news”

followed up again 2 years later: the account of the event changed

distant: “in the dorm with roommate, came up on the TV”

Question 20

what is the source monitoring error?

Answer 20

we misattribute where the information first came from (very common)

-where did I see that movie?
-must have been at nates, I always watch movies at nates

Question 21

why do important/emotional memories tend to change the most?

Answer 21

memories are more vulnerable when they are recalled often

Question 22

what is the narrative rehearsal hypothesis?

Answer 22

we recall thee memories so often that they are vulnerable to fragile STM reconsolidation

Question 23

Talerico (2007)

Answer 23

flashbulb memories fade and become inconsistent just like any others BUT we believe they become better with time

Question 24

explain the constructive nature of memory

Answer 24

memory=event+knowledge+assumptions+other memories

Question 25

Bartlett (1932)

Answer 25

British participants were told a narrative from Canadian folklore, and made cultural errors when recalling

“hunting trip” became “exploring”
“canoe” became “boat”

Question 26

we use knowledge and assumption to…

Answer 26

construct memory that logically needs to be present even if it isn’t actually

Question 27

arkes (1984)

Answer 27

participants were asked to recall an audio description of a baseball play

baseball fans were more likely to recall information that was never there

memory schemas!!

Question 28

memory is typically constructed around a…

Answer 28

schema

ex. you hear “I have 4 exams this week”
you remember “I will not have free time” and “I am stressed”

Question 29

McDermott (1995)

Answer 29

critical word construction (?)

Question 30

Brewer (1981)

Answer 30

waiting room study

86 participants were told to wait in an office before a study began for 35 seconds

they were then asked to describe the room they had been in
-30% remembered books and lamps even though there were no booksand lamps

participants recalled based on their schemas for an office

Question 31

elizabeth loftus (1978)

Answer 31

participants were shown a video of intersection car crashes

-speed when vehicles hit- participants said 34 mph
-speed when vehicles smashed- 41 mph and reported broken glass

-did car stop?-recalled stop sign
-did car yield?-recalled yield sign

misleading post event information

Question 32

why are childhood events some of the most innacurate?

Answer 32

they are made up of highly constructed flashbulb events

Question 33

hyman (1995)

Answer 33

collected childhood stories from participants parents

interviewed participants about the events on multiple different occasions

there were higher rates of false recall over time

Question 34

implications for eye witness testimony

Answer 34

ohio state university project
-mistaken eyewitness testimony accounts for 52% of wrongful convictions

innocence project
-non-profit exoneration group
-have freed over 350 people based on DNA evidence

Question 35

in rare instances, individuals may have exceptional memory and very good encoding retrieval because…

Answer 35

-little working memory is needed
-memory is accurate and does not decay

Question 36

individuals with exceptional memory typically only have….

Answer 36

one type of memory (episodic or semantic, etc.)

Question 37

parker (2006)

Answer 37

case study of Soloman Shereshevsky
-mnemonist
-memorizes 50 digits in 3 min
-exceptional semantic memory

case study of patient AJ
-highly superior autobiographical memory (HSAM)
-memorized 7 digits in 3 min
-could recall vivid episodic memories from every day of her life

Question 38

LePort (2012)

Answer 38

did an MRI scan of individuals with HSAM
-comorbid with OCD

found differences in the caudate nucleus of the brain
-voluntary skeletal movement
-emotion, reward, motivation
-connects directly to the hippocampus

Question 39

great memory does not require…

Answer 39

a special brain

Question 40

Maguire (2003)

Answer 40

-MRI of 10 super memorizers who compete in memory comps
-exceptional use of memory strategies (mneonics, elaboration)

individuals had no superior intelligence and no superior brain structures