Interference and Misleading Info Flashcards
Explain Proactive and Retroactive interference
Proactive interference is when past learning makes learning something new in the future more difficult. This is because the original memory for something interferes with the formation of new memories associated with it.
Retroactive interference is when current attempts to learn something makes past learning more difficult. This is because the current memory interfered with what was previously learned.
For example Starting Spanish may affect our memory of previously learned French vocabulary
Two main types of testing
Leading questions
Open ended questions
Factors affecting Eye Witness Testimonies
Memory of an event can be altered through discussing events with others and being questioned multiple times.
Comments from interviewers often become incorporated into our recollection of events. Leading questions also effect our recall. Children are particularly susceptible to when being interviewed about a crime.
Loftus and Palmer - Distorting memories through use of leading questions
METHOD:
45 participants were shown slides of a car accident
Participants were to describe what happened, as if they were witnesses
(participants were then put into 5 different conditions) participants were asked about how fast were the cars going when they …
Condition 1- ‘hit’ / Condition 2- ‘smashed ‘/
Condition 3- ‘collided’ / 4-’bumped ‘/
5- ‘contacted’
RESULTS:
The participant’s estimation of the speed was affected by the verb used in the condition.
‘smashed’ condition estimated =41mph / ‘hit’ condition estimated only = 34mph
Experiment 2: A Week later they were asked:
‘Did you see any broken glass?’ (there was actually none)
32% in ‘smashed’ condition = said yes. 14% in ‘hit’ condition = said yes.
AO3 E:
Lab experiment: not very representative of real life – people don’t take the experiment as seriously. They are not as emotionally aroused as in a real accident.
Christianson (1993) found that emotional arousal enhances the accuracy of memories – interviewed real witnesses to a bank robbery.
Demand characteristics – participants may look for clues of how to behave and what is expected of them – this is particularly important with regards to leading questions
There are individual differences which need to be taken into consideration for example the age of the witness…
Although L+P’s study showed errors in accurate of EWT. Yuille and Cutshall found greater accuracy in real life. Suggesting misleading info has less influence in real life. (bank robbery 4 months later)
