EXAM 2: Reconstructive Nature of Memory

Question 1

Misinformation effect

Answer 1

Event -> Misleading information -> Modified knowledge

Question 2

What are the two types of misinformation

Answer 2

Supplemental and Contradictory

Question 3

Supplemental information

Answer 3

Extra information that is plausible given the broader contextual setting (book/office example)

Question 4

Contradictory Information

Answer 4

Information that directly contradicts what was originally witnessed

Question 5

Loftus and Palmer, 1974

Answer 5

Views a series of slides depicting a car accident, asked “how fast were the cars going when they __ each other?”. The lower estimated speed answers would be “contacted” or “hit”, however the higher estimated speed answers would be “smashed”. Did the question affect memory for the accident? 14% of the hit group said they saw broken glass, and 34% of the smashed group said they saw broken glass.

Question 6

In the car crash example, what type of misinformation is that?

Answer 6

Supplemental! Broken glass is extra yet plausible info, even more plausible for the smashed group

Question 7

Stop Sign Example - What was it?

Answer 7

Shown a photo of a car crash where a stop sign was visible. They had to answer questions, “see stop sign, asked about stop sign”, “see stop sign, asked about yield sign”.
Results: 75% accurate for consistent; 40% accurate for inconsistent. This example demonstrates contradictory misinformation because you can “erase” previous memory

Question 8

Eyewitness testimony

Answer 8

Most important factor in influencing juries. Research demonstrates that eyewitness memory is far more malleable than once thought

Question 9

What are the two types of lineups?

Answer 9

Simultaneous + Sequential

Question 10

Simultaneous Lineup

Answer 10

See all photos at the same time when making decision
Relative decision: people choose the person who most resembles their memory of the culprit

Question 11

Sequential

Answer 11

View photo one-at-a-time
Absolute decision: assess each person in isolation

Question 12

Impact of positive feedback in a lineup

Answer 12

Increases eyewitness confidence, alters memory for the original events (rate original view as being better, rate that they could make out more facial details)

Question 13

What are the two sevens sins of memory?

Answer 13

Omission and Commission

Question 14

Omission

Answer 14

Failure to bring something to mind

Question 15

Commission

Answer 15

Presence of unwanted or inaccurate memories

Question 16

What are the 3 sections of sins of omission?

Answer 16

Transience, Absentmindedness, Blocking

Question 17

What are the 4 sins of commission

Answer 17

Persistence, Misattribution, Suggestibility, Bias

Question 18

Omission: What is transience?

Answer 18

Loss of info from memory with the passage of time (forget the details) (lots of time = more lost)

Question 19

Omission: What is absentmindedness?

Answer 19

Don’t attend to information, no entry to retrieve later (lack of attention leads to memory distortions) (EX: forgetting where you put your keys)

Question 20

Omission: What is blocking?

Answer 20

Temporary failure to retrieve, increases with age (tip of the tongue demo)

Question 21

Commission: What is persistence?

Answer 21

The continued automatic retrieval of memories (often unwanted, PTSD)

Question 22

Commission: What is Misattribution?

Answer 22

Memory ascribed to the wrong source (EX: You thnk you learn something in class, but you actually heard it in a tiktok)

Question 23

Commission: What is suggestibility

Answer 23

False recollection (through leading question or others/ suggestion) (results: retrieval sketches matched the label) (conclusion: label influenced encoding of the memory = influences the reconstruction of memory at retrieval)

Question 24

Commission: What is Bias?

Answer 24

Our own influence on what we remember (influenced by beliefs/expectations/desires/emotions) (EX: You get into a fight with your friend at the end
of a trip. Because you are upset with your friend, in that
moment, you remember the entire vacation as being less
enjoyable than it actually was)

Question 25

Weapon focus effect

Answer 25

The presence of a weapon leads to accurate memory for related info and impaired memory for peripheral details (possible reasons: threatening nature of the gun, novelty of the gun given the current context)

Question 26

Photo bias

Answer 26

Increase in probability that a person will be recognized as the culprit due to previous exposure in a photo

Question 27

False memory theories: Fuzzy Trace Theory

Answer 27

Two memory components: Gist (overall main idea) and Verbatim (exact details)
False memory = Gist > Verbatim
(EX: DRM Paradigm: Verbatim is every word in the list, Gist is the overall idea which was sleep)

Question 28

False memory theories: Source monitoring framework

Answer 28

Reality monitoring - Attributing a memory either as a perceived external event of an internally generated event
Source monitoring: Determine the source of the event (source confusion: the inability to distinguish between the source of event memories)