memory lecture 7 Flashcards
what does ebbinghaus’ forgetting curve show?
standard forgetting function
erdelyi and becker (1974)- hypermnesia procedure
looked to see if you can ever improve memory over time
given a list of words to retrieve- had to write down as many as you could remember
interval (given a new task), then had 7 mins to do the task, then given a new sheet, had 7 mins to do the task again
erdelyi and becker (1974)- hypermnesia results
recall for words was worse than for pictures
for pictures, people did significantly better over time
repeated measures means we improve our memory
in experiments usually, is forgetting or reminiscence better?
reminiscence
what happens when forgetting is low and reminiscence is high?
net gain in memory over time can be observed
what did scrivener and safer (1988) find out about eyewitness testimony? procedure
watched a tape of a burglar breaking into a house and shooting victims
recalled immediately
did a questionnaire
did a second questionnaire
returned after 48 hours for trial 4
what did scrivener and safer (1988) find out about eyewitness testimony? results
in repeated retrieval, people were able to give more information over time
false alarm rates were low and didn’t increase over time
shows a genuine improvement over time
what did Godden and Baddeley (1975) find out about context dependent memory? procedure
divers learned a list of words underwater or on land
asked to recall the words either underwater or on land
what did Godden and Baddeley (1975) find out about context dependent memory? results
accurate recall was 40% lower in the non-matching conditions
when the external cues were different from learning to recall it led to retrieval failure
no effect on recognition
what did Goodwin et al (1969) find out about state dependent memory? procedure
tested people when they learnt either sober or intoxicated
what did Goodwin et al (1969) find out about state dependent memory? results
people do better at learning sober than intoxicated
perform better when the state at learning and recall match
how can we induce a mood for an experiment?
Velten procedure
how does the Velten procedure work?
statements are designed to change your mood
how do we tend to recall information congruent with our current mood?
better at remembering positive items if we are in a positive mood
when we’re in a depressed state, find it hard to remember positive memories
who proposed the cognitive interview?
Geilselman, 1986
what are the four parts of the cognitive interview?
report everything
reinstate the context
reverse the order
change perspective
what does report everything mean?
encouraged to include every detail of the event- even if it seems irrelevant trivial details may trigger other memories
what does reinstate the context mean?
return to the original crime scene in your mind- imagine the environment and your emotions
what does reverse the order of events mean?
recall events in a different order to prevent people reporting their expectations of what happened, and to prevent dishonesty
what does change perspective mean?
recall the incident from other people’s perspectves- disrupting the effects of expecations and schemas
what evidence supports the use of the cognitive interview?
people asked to watch a violent film, wait 2 days, then do the standard or cognitive interview
standard interview= correct recall of 29.4 items
cognitive interview= correct recall of 41.2 items
no difference in number of errors
what did Ross (1989) find out about rewriting our own memories?
ppts asked to watch a film on jogging- had a negative bias
asked what their attitude to jogging was before
people distorted their past memories to make it consistent with their current attitude
what did Conway and Ross (1984) find out about remembered abilities?
students rated their study skills before participating on a training program
no observed improvement from the programme
after students attempted to remember their pre-course ratings- rated previous study habits as being lower than they actually were
