Lecture 5: Motivation to Forgetting

Question 1

What is the positivity bias?

Answer 1

The tendency to recall more pleasant memories than neutral/unpleasant ones.

Question 2

So, why do we recall positive memories?

Answer 2

Motives alter what we remember, and we get better at it as we get older. Older people more skilled in emotion regulation.

Question 3

What is the difference between regression and suppression?

Answer 3

Repression is an unconscious process, whereas suppression is a conscious process.

Question 4

To Freud, what is repression?

Answer 4

A psychological defense mechanism aimed at rejecting, or keeping something out of consciousness. [Repressed material still influences behaviour]

Question 5

What is psychogenic amnesia?

Answer 5

Profound forgetting, it is psychological in origin.

Question 6

What are the methods of controlling what we remember?

Answer 6

Limit encoding; Prevent retrieval; Stop retrieval

Question 7

How is limit encoding a method of controlling what we remember?

Answer 7

Looking away from the stimulus and focus on pleasant aspects; Stopping elaborative thoughts

Question 8

How is preventing retrieval a method of controlling what we remember?

Answer 8

Intentionally shift to a new thought; Avoid cues and reminders

Question 9

How is stop retrieval [in the face of a reminder] a method of controlling what we remember?

Answer 9

Actively suppressing the unwanted memory.

Question 10

What is directed forgetting [item method], according to Basden & Basden [1996]; Basden et al., [1993]?

Answer 10

Proposes that directed forgetting is observed on: recall tests; recognition tests. The effect reflects differences in episodic encoding:
> Remember instructions: elaborative semantic encoding
> Forget instructions: release attention and stop rehearsal

Question 11

Is forgetting passive or active?

Answer 11

“Forget” instruction engages an active process that disrupts encoding.

Question 12

What is encoding suppression?

Answer 12

Active processes adopted at encoding and restrict which experiences we allow into memory.

Question 13

Why do we need encoding suppression?

Answer 13

> Regulates which experiences will be allowed into memory
Reducing the footprint of negative experiences is always a positive thing
Bias in remembering more positive than negative characteristics about oneself, but matched memory when these relate to someone else [Sedikides & Green, 2000]
Regulate our memory to protect self-image, when feedback poses high levels of threat.