MEMORY ERROR / LOFTUS AND PALMER / LEADING QUESTIONS / FACTORS (CONTEXT AND STATE DC)

Question 1

HOW DO ERRORS OCCUR IN HUMAN MEMORY?

Answer 1

• A new memory is ACTIVELY reconstructed and constructed

Formation:

• New information is organized and encoded in different types of sensory information.
• When the memory is retrieved, we actively reconstruct or recreate these details
• RECONSTRUCTION process: factors can change or DISTORT the memory

Question 2

LOFTUS AND PALMER EXPERIMENT
(EYEWITNESS TESTIMONIES)

• Leading Questions
• IV: Descriptive verbs used: smashed, collided, contacted, hit, bumped
• DV: Measuring how fast the participants estimated the cars traveling before the accident

Answer 2

Investigated: Accuracy of eyewitness testimony

AIM: Whether memory could be influenced by the type of questions people were asked

Conclusion:

• That eyewitnesses actively reconstruct their memories of an event and therefore their testimonies are NOT always accurate
• False memories are created by post-event information (after the event has occurred). Unconsciously incorporated
• DISTORTION: Retrieved memories are incorrect and remembered in a different way than what actually occurred
• RESPONSE-BIAS: Tendency of a person to answer questions untruthfully or misleadingly (Socially acceptable/Desired answer)

Question 3

DEFINITION (LEADING QUESTIONS)

Answer 3

• A question that has content or is phrased in such a way
• as to suggest or prompt what answer is desired or to LEAD to the DESIRED answer
• Used to manipulate the reconstruction of memory

Question 4

FACTORS: WHAT IS FORGETTING?

Answer 4

• Refers to the inability to retrieve previously stored information
• It has an adaptive function (Contributes to our survival and our sanity)
• Can be either lost or forgotten from STM permanently
• LTM: Not usually forgotten. The information is UNAVAILABLE at that time (Known as retrieval failure)

Question 5

FACTORS: RETRIEVAL FAILURE THEORY (FILING CABINET)

Answer 5

• Also known as cue dependent forgetting
• Information has NOT been lost from LTM. cannot be retrieved due to the LACK of retrieval cues or the correct retrieval cue is not being USED.

Question 6

DEFINITION: CONTEXT DEPENDENT CUES
- Encoding specificity principle

(EXAMPLE: Crime scene (Present at the time): Certain aspects of the environment may TRIGGER memories)

Answer 6

• Enhances retrieval of information from LTM by improving the quality of encoding
• External environmental cues in a specific setting that AID in retrieval

Question 7

DEFINITION: STATE DEPENDENT CUES

EXAMPLE: Studying for an exam - Positive/Calm emotional state

Answer 7

• Enhances retrieval of information from LTM by improving the quality of encoding
• They are cues that are associated with an individual’s internal STATE
• Both psychologically and physiologically (Retrieve information in the same STATE)

Question 8

DEFINITION: RETRIEVAL CUES

Answer 8

• Mental prompts or reminders
• Create to assist our recollection later on
  2 TYPES (Context/State) DC

Question 9

DEFINITION: ENCODING SPECIFICITY PRINCIPLE

Answer 9

• The CLOSER the retrieval conditions are to the learning conditions, the BETTER recall will be