Memory Flashcards
Outline research support for the Cognitive Interview
Köhnken et al (1999)
- Meta analysis of 50 studies on the CI
- 34% increase in amount of information given
- Only 3% difference in accuracy
Outline the Cognitive Interview
Fisher and Geiselman (1992)
- Recall everything - Minor details could still be helpful, they can act as cues and trigger more memories
- Reinstate the context - putting themselves back in the scene can act as cues and trigger more memories
- Reverse the order - Harder to lie and for schema to affect the story
- Change perspective - Disrupts the effect of schema, particularly effective for the elderly and children
What is the Yerkes-Dodson effect?
The observation that arousal has a negative effect on performance (such as memory recall) when it is very low or very high, but moderate levels are actually beneficial. This is described as an inverted U-shape curve.
Outline research support for anxiety having a positive effect on accuracy
Yuille and Cutshall (1986)
- 13 witnesses to a robbery where the thief was killed and the shop owner injured
- Participants were interviewed 5 months after police interviews
- Rated their anxiety on a Likert scale
- The details given were compared to previous police interviews
Results
- Low anxiety - 75% recalled the same
- High anxiety - 88% recalled the same
Outline research support for anxiety having a negative effect on accuracy
Johnson and Scott (1979)
- Participants seating in a waiting room unaware
- Heated argument can be heard from the next room
- Low anxiety condition - Man comes out of room holding a pen with hands covered in grease
- High anxiety condition - Sound of breaking glass, man walks out with letter opener covered in blood
- Participants asked to identify the man from a set of 50 photos
Results
- Low anxiety recall rate - 49%
- High anxiety recall rate - 33%
Outline research support for the effect of Post Event Discussion on eye witness testimony
Gabbert et al (2003)
- Participants watch a video of a girl stealing money
- Group 1 can see the theft, group 2 cannot
- Both groups are allowed to discuss (control group does not)
- They then answer a questionnaire
Results
- 71% in discussion condition recalled info they did not see
- 60% said the girls was guilty even though they did not see the crime
Outline research support for the effect of leading questions on eye witness testimony
Loftus and Palmer (1974)
- 45 participants watch a video of a car crash
- Then asked “How fast were the cars going when they ____ eachother?”
Results
- Smashed - 40.8 mph
- Collided - 39.3 mph
- Hit - 38.1 mph
- Bumped - 34.0 mph
- Contacted - 31.8 mph
Outline research support for forgetting due to retrieval failure
State-dependent Forgetting
Goodwin et al (1969)
- Male participants memorised a list of words either drunk or sober
- 24 hours later they recalled the list either drunk or sober (4 conditions)
Results
- Recall was best when done in the same state it was learnt in
Outline research support for forgetting due to retrieval failure
Context-dependent Forgetting
Godden and Baddeley (1975)
- Scuba divers learnt a list of words either on land or underwater
- They then recalled the list either on land or underwater (4 conditions)
Results
- Recall was best when done in the same environment it was learnt in
Outline research support for forgetting due to interference
McGeoch and McDonald (1931)
- Participants learnt a list of words to 100% accuracy then learnt a second list, then recalled the first list after 10 minutes
Second list conditions:
- Synonyms of first list
- Antonyms of first list
- Unrelated words to first list
- Consonant trigrams
- 3 digit numbers
- No new list
Results
1. 12% recall
3. 26% recall
5. 37% recall
Name the two types of interference and what they are
- Proactive interference -Old memory interferes with a new memory
- Retroactive interference- New memory interferes with an old memory
Outline research support for the Working Memory Model
Baddeley and Hitch (1976)
- Two conditions, both with two tasks performed simultaneously
- Track moving dot with a laser pointer, Mentally move around the edge of a letter F and categorise the corners as either top or bottom
- Track moving dot with a laser pointer, Perform a purely verbal task
Results
- Condition 1 is harder to do because both tasks utilise the visuospatial sketchpad
Outline research support for WMM
Physical evidence
D’Espasito et al (2014)
- Meta analysis of neuroimaging research into working memory
Results
- Central executive - Frontal lobe
- Phonological loop - Temporal lobe
- Visuospatial sketchpad - Occipital lobe
Outline research support for WMM
Case study
Shallice and Warrington (1970)
- Examined a man named “KF” who suffered brain damage from a motorcycle accident
- KF’s STM was impaired for verbal info (phonological loop) but not for visual info (visuospatial sketchpad) suggesting they are separate
Counter for the WMM
Quote
“The central executive is the most important, but the least understood component”
