Hock Reading 4:4

Question 1

Who is one of the lead researchers in the area of memory?

Answer 1

Elizabeth Loftus

Question 2

Loftus found that when an event is recalled it is not _____ recreated

Instead she found that….?

Answer 2

Accurately

What is actually being recalled is the reconstruction of an event that is being remembered

Question 3

reconstructive memory is a result of….?
thus, Loftus maintains that memories are not ____

Answer 3

Our use of new and existing information to fill in the gaps in our recall of an experience

thus, Loftus maintains that memories are not stable, but they are malleable and changeable over time.

Question 4

Loftus’s main area of research in memory is connected to what?

Answer 4

Eyewitness testimony within the legal system

Question 5

In her area of research she found that subtle influences in how a ______ is worded can ____ a persons memory for an event.

Provide an example

Answer 5

1. question
2. alter

When asked the question “Did you see a broken Headlight?” vs “Did you see the broken headlight?” The question with the word “the” produced more “yes” responses than the question with the word “a”, despite there being no broken headlight.

This is because the word “the” assumes that there was a broken headlight, thus influencing many witnesses to add one to their memories as they reconstruct the event they witnessed.

Question 6

In Loftus’s article about eyewitness testimony, she reports about 4 related studies that demonstrated what?

Answer 6

These studies demonstrated that the mere wording of questions asked of eyewitnesses could alter their memories of events they witness when they were later asked questions about what the events.

Question 7

These studies focus on the power of questions containing presuppositions to alter a persons memory of an event. How does Loftus define presuppositions?

Elaborate on this example : car crash witness

Answer 7

presupposition is a condition that must be true for the question to make sense

You witnessed a car crash and are asked “ how many people were in the car that was speeding?” this question presupposes that the car was speeding, but what if it wasn’t?. You might answer the question because it was about the passengers not the speed of the car. However, because of the wording of the question you might now store this speeding information into your memory of this event. As a consequence to any future questions asked you might say the car was speeding.

Question 8

Loftus hypothesized that if eye witnesses were asked questions that contain a false presupposition about the witnessed event, the new false information may be incorporated into the witnesses memory of an event and _____(3 words)_________ in the new testimony by the witness.

Answer 8

would appear subsequently

Question 9

Loftus doesn’t believe repressed memories exist. She says three memory distortions that clinicians might see as repression are?

Answer 9

1. Early sexual abuse may simply be forgotten not repressed
2. in therapy someone might say they have no memory of a traumatic event happening when in reality they never forgot it (avoiding thinking about something vs forgetting about something).
3. Could believe a traumatic event occurred and was repressed when it didn’t happen in the first place.