Everyday memories and memory errors Flashcards
what is the amygdala?
subcortical, involved in processing emotional aspects of experience
what is a cognitive hypothesis
explanation for the reminiscence bump - memories better for adolescence and early adulthood - encoding better during periods of rapid change followed by stability
what is a cognitive interview
when interviewing crime scene witnesses - letting them talk with no interruptions. recreating the scene
what is the constructive nature of memory
the idea that memories are constructed of what actually happened, plus additional factors - expectations, knowledge, life experiences
what is the cultural life script hypothesis
where events in a persons life are easier to recall when they fit the cultural life script for their culture
what is a cultural life script
common life events that occur in a particular culture
eyewitness testimony
what an eyewitness saw during a crime
flashbulb memory
memory for the situation when you heard about something particularly shocking eg 9/11. Claimed they are highly vivid and accurate (see constructive memories)
what is highly superior autobiographical memory?
when some people can remember personal experiences that occurred on any day or time
what is the illusory truth effect
where we feel positive about something being true because we have heard it before
what is the misinformation effect
misleading information presented after someone has witnessed an event that changes how they describe it later
what is misleading postevent information
the info that causes the misinformation effect
what are music enhanced autobiographical memories (meams)
autobiographical memories elicited after hearing music
what is the narrative rehearsal hypothesis
the idea that we remember shocking events (or big life events) better because we rehearse them - explanation for flashbulb memories
what is pragmatic inference
where someone infers something from reading or hearing something that is not explicitly stated
what is the reminiscence bump
that people over 40 have enhanced memory from events from adolescence and early adulthood compared to other periods
what is repeated recall
where recall is tested immediately after an event and then retested
what is a schema
knowledge about what is involved in a particular experience - eg a kitchen
what is a script
actions that describe a particular activity eg going to class (= going to class script)
what is a self-image hypothesis
where memory is enhanced for events that occur as self-image or life identity is being formed (explanation for reminiscence bump)
what is a source misattribution
when the source of a memory is misidentified
what is a source monitoring error
misidentifying the source of a memory
source monitoring
eg when you remember you heard something from a particular person
what is weapons focus
where eyewitnesses focus attention on a weapon causing poor memory for other things happening
