Chapter 8 - Memory and Memory Errors

Question 1

what is autobiographical memory?

Answer 1

memories that make up a persons life story

Question 2

what part of memory is autobiographical memory a part of?

Answer 2

episodic memory

Question 3

what are autobiographical facts?

Answer 3

simple, context-free knowledge about a person’s world

Question 4

what part of memory are autobiographical facts a part of?

Answer 4

semantic memory

Question 5

what makes autobiographical memories difficult to study?

Answer 5

-> not controlled by researcher
-> difficult to verify
-> subjective to experience

Question 6

what area of the brain is information about the self primarily found?

Answer 6

the prefrontal cortex

Question 7

what area of the brain is associated with autobiographical memories?

Answer 7

the hippocampus

Question 8

what two events are remembered well in childhood compared to other events?
why?

Answer 8

-> being hospitalized themselves
-> the birth of a sibling
(because it was highly traumatic/emotional, and it receives a lot of rehearsal)

Question 9

at what age range is the emergence of AM / the offset of childhood amnesia?

Answer 9

5-10 years old

Question 10

what are the three explanations for the offset of childhood anmesia?

Answer 10

1) brain development
-> hippocampus and prefrontal cortex

2) language development
-> able to describe important events

3) sense of self
-> realize they’re their own person (theory of mind)

Question 11

what is declarative vs non-declarative?

Answer 11

declarative -> explicit, conscious recollection of events

non-declarative -> implicit learning and skills (procedural)

Question 12

elaborative vs pragmatic style of parenting, what are the implications?

Answer 12

elaborative: detailed descriptions
pragmatic: less detailed
(elaborative typically used with female children, pragmatic with males)

(when females recall AM, they use more details)

Question 13

what is the reminiscence bump?

Answer 13

improved recall of events between the ages of 10-30

Question 14

what is the self-image hypothesis for the reminiscence bump?

Answer 14

-> when you start forming your identity, most important events happen during this time

Question 15

what is the cognitive hypothesis for the reminiscence bump?

Answer 15

-> encoding is better during periods of rapid change followed by stability (a main trend between 10-30)

Question 16

what is the cultural life script hypothesis for the reminiscence bump?

Answer 16

-> events are easier to recall when they fit in the timeframe of cultural expectations

Question 17

what is youth bias?

Answer 17

-> the tendency for the important events in a person’s life to be thought to occur when they’re young

Question 18

what levels does memory drop to within a 4 year span? why?

Answer 18

75% - 35%
-> low rehearsal
-> retroactive interference

Question 19

what is nostalgia?

Answer 19

-> a sentimental affection for the past, a yearning to return to a point in one’s life

Question 20

what does MEAM stand for? who displays evidence of this?

Answer 20

-> music elicited autobiographical memory
(patients with Alzheimer’s disease)

Question 21

what is the proust effect?

Answer 21

when tastes and smells unlock memories

Question 22

true or false: emotional memories are recalled LESS than non-emotional memories?

(why?)

Answer 22

false

-> cortisol is linked with consolidation of memories

Question 23

what is the weapons focus effect?

Answer 23

-> when there is a weapon involved in a crime it is often the main thing victims report about, as they’re mostly focused on the weapon and it’s location