Human Memory Final Flashcards
Harris (1980) Study Results?
Survey to find out what sort of mnemonic aids people use most often
Subjects:
- 30 college students (avg 21 yrs old)
- 30 female housewives (avg 46 yrs old)
Subjects asked to rate frequency of which they used memory aids
- External memory aids - something external to ourselves we use as a reminder
- Internal memory aids - strategies we use in encoding or retrieving information
Tended to use external memory aids
External Memory Aids: Shopping lists, Diaries, Writing on hand or clothing, Alarm clock, Cooking timer, Memos, Calendar / year planner, Asking someone else to remind you, Leave something in a special place
Simonides (Greek poet) - the legend of the first visual imagery mnemonics
Used method of loci and visualized where most of the guests had been standing, so he could identify the bodies.
Method of Loci
Visualize each item that you want to remember in a different spatial location or “locus”
Peg-word system
Involves both visual and auditory cues Memorize a certain jingle: “One is a bun, Two is a shoe, etc.”
Verbal Mnmonics
Use verbal types of information cue recall. Ex: acronyms, rhyming, systems based on association between letters and numbers
Reverend Brayshaw’s Mnemonic Coding System
Substitute consonants for numbers and use consonants to create words.
Reverend Brayshaw’s Rhymes
Brayshaw made up rhymes included “coded”words for the year, plus information to be remembered.
Learning approach: surface
Focus on rote learning (memorization). Little motivation/interest in learning content. A “pass-only” mentality.
Learning approach: deep
Focuses on meaning of material. Integrates new material with previous knowledge. Interested in subject, seek to truly understand material.
Learning approach: achievement (strategic)
Goal: getting best grade possible, regardless of interest in topic. Study fewest topics necessary to do well. “Model student” - schedule study time, read suggested readings.
Testing effect
Long term retention of material is better when you test yourself while learning the material, versus simply studying the material.
The Sawyers
Sawyers were mistakenly identified. Another man later confessed to being one of the kidnappers. Conclusion: Eyewitness testimony holds a lot of weight in court!
The Gentlemen Bandit
Father Bernard Pagano mistakenly identified by seven eyewitnesses. The charges got dropped after Ronald Clouser confessed to the crimes. Conclusion: Eyewitness accounts are very powerful in court, yet they’ve been shown to be unreliable.
Change Blindness
Failure to detect seemingly obvious visual changes.
Simons and Levin (1998).
Subjects asked for directions by stranger. While giving directions, movers carrying door pass between stranger and subject. Stranger switched with different person!
50% of subjects don’t notice the switch.
Levin, Drivdahl, Momen, Beck (2002).
Described changes occurring in videos (disappearing scarf, plates changing color, changing man). Ask subjects if they believe they would notice these changes. Predictions that they would notice change: scarf (78%), man (59%), plates (46%).
In actuality, videos had been used in research before and 0% actually noticed changes.
Schemas: Tuckey and Brewer (2003). Typical bank robbery - remember?
Remembered items consistent with general schema for bank robbery, even if the event had ambiguous elements.
Leading Question: Loftus and Palmer (1974).
Subjects speed estimates greatest when “smashed” was used. Form of question can greatly affect the witness’s answer.
Loftus and Palmer experiment #2. Any broken glass?
“Smashed” group reported broken glass 34% of the time. “Hit” group reported broken glass 14% of the time. The word “smashed” did affect subjects’ memory of the scene.
Loftus (1979). Questions included bias info.
Most subjects still responded according to the misleading information. Rewards didn’t lead to any greater accuracy.
Are memories actually changed? What did Loftus conclude?
Concluded that the original memory trace is destroyed by misleading information
Bekerian and Bowers (1983). Presented recognition slides in sequential, chronological order.
Subjects in “sequential” condition could disregard the misinformation and recognize original sign. Therefore, the original trace must have still existed. Showing slides in sequential order brings back context of original presentation.
Eyewitness Testimony and Age. Dodson & Krueger (2006). Police chase example.
Older adults much more likely to report false memories triggered by misleading info. Older adults also much more confident that their false memories were true.
Influence of Violence. Do high levels of emotion people experience exposed to a crime impair or increase their memory for details of a scene.
Overall memory for a violent event is stronger than for a neutral event, but memory for the peripheral details of the event is weaker. What is remembered depends on what the eyewitness judges to be central.
