Memory Accuracy (Memory) Flashcards
What happens when we retrive memories?
We reconstruct them which may result in things being forgotten or modified = not always accurate.
What are false memories?
Memories that didn’t actually happen.
What are the factors that affect eyewitness testimony?
- Leading questions
- Post-event discussion
- Anxiety
What is eyewitness testimony?
The ability to remember details of events which they may have observed.
What are leading questions?
Questions which are phrased to suggest a certain answer.
- Influences memory recall + lead to false memories.
What is post-event discussion?
Witnesses may discuss what they have seen with other people.
- May influence the accuracy of each witnesses recall of event.
What is anxiety?
Strong emotional/physical effects which may make eyewitness recall better or worse.
What is the effect on accuracy is somone is only a little bit anxious?
Accuracy is better.
What is the effect on accuracy is somone is very anxious?
Accuracy is worse.
What scale is anxiety measure on?
‘The inverted U’
Who conducted a study on leading questions?
Loftus and Palmer
What was the procedure of Loftus and Palmer’s leading question study?
- Lab study
- Asked them leading questions about the way the car had crashed.
- Used an intense verb ‘smashed’ = ppts judged the car as driving fast.
What was the aim of Loftus and Palmer’s leading question study?
How accuratly could ppts recall a video of a car crash.
What were the findings of Loftus and Palmer’s leading question study?
Leading questions biased the eyewitness recall of event.
What are the ways leading questions affect the EWT?
- Response-bias
- Subsitution
What is the response-bias explanation?
The wording of the question has no real effect on ppts memories, just influences how they decide to answer.
What is the subsitution explanation?
Wording of leading questions changes the ppts memory.
What was the procedure of Loftus and Palmer’s second study?
- Asked questions about broken glass.
- Ppts had a false memory that there had been broken glass in the video.
- The intense verb ‘smashed’ was used.
What were the findings of Loftus and Palmer’s second study?
- The intense verb altered the memory.
- Supports the subsitution explanation.
What are the limitations of Loftus and Palmer’s studies?
- Demand characteristics: ppts may have only given those answers because they thought it was what they were expected to say.
- Lack ecological validity: if it was a real life situation ppts may have paid more attention/tried harder to give accurate answers.
Who conducted a study into post-event discussion?
Gabbert.
What was the procedure of Gabbert’s post-event discussion study?
- Studied ppts in pairs.
- Each watched a video of the same crime but saw from different points of view.
- Both discussed what they had seen before individually completing a test of recall.
What were the findings of Gabbert’s post-event discussion study?
- 71% = mistakenly recalled aspects they didn’t see but picked up in discussion.
- 0% = mistakes recalled in control group (no discussion).
- They go along with eachother to either win social approval/believe others are right (memory conformity).
Who studied the negative effects on recall?
Johnson and Scott
