P1 - Cognitive - Reliability of Cognitive Processing Flashcards
Reconstructive Memory, Biases
what is reliability?
to repeat something and find the same result, if memory is consistent over time, then it is reliable
how are eyewitness testimonies linked to reconstructive memory?
- used in legal systems as evidence in criminal trials which rely on the accuracy of human memory
- California Innocence Project which was formed in 1999, where lawyers focus in that of eyewitness misidentification of suspects. 1 in 4 stranger identifications could be wrong, and this plays a role in 70% of the convictions that were later overturned by DNA testing in the USA
three factors that are most likely to distort memory
- high emotion
- the desire to fill in the gaps
- post-event information
what are the studies for reconstructive memory?
- Loftus and Palmer (1974)
- Bartlett (1932)
cognitive bias
systematic error in thinking that occurs when people are processing and interpreting information in the world around them and affects decisions and judgements they make
what are framing effects?
the way a problem is framed/presented influences intuitive judgements made about it and therefore the decision is made
what is reconstructive memory?
act of remembering is influenced by other various cognitive processes including perception and beliefs.
what is the aim of Loftus and Palmer (1974)
To investigate whether leading questions asked of eyewitnesses after an event can change memory of that event.
what is the procedure of Loftus and Palmer (1974)
45 American uni students were split into 5 groups and shown 7 films of car accidents
smashed, collided, hit, bumped, contacted and asked about the speed
second experiment of 150 students asked about if they saw any broken glass
what were the findings of Loftus and Palmer (1974)
smashed had a higher speed estimate of 40.5 + more likely to see broken glass
contacted had a speed estimate of 31.8
what was the conclusion of Loftus and Palmer?
schema invoked by the word ‘smashed’ is a more serious accident that from the word ‘contacted’
schema is associated with the verb, resulting in distortion of their reconstructive memories.
critical thinking of Loftus and Palmer (1974)
+ standardised
+ critical question was hidden to avoid demand characteristics
- students
- lab study
what is the aim of Bartlett (1932)?
To investigate how memory of an unfamiliar story is affected by previous knowledge.
what is the procedure of Bartlett (1932)?
20 students at the Uni of Cambridge were told a Native American legend called The War of the Ghosts
repeated reproduction
serial reproduction
findings of Bartlett (1932)
familarisation of the material: ‘canoes’ became ‘boats, ‘paddling’ became ‘ rowing’ = consistent with British culture
omission of unfamiliar information: reference of ‘ghosts’ was dropped, because they are not consistent with British culture
what is the conclusion of Bartlett (1932)
memory is reconstructive and use familiar schemas to reorganise unfamiliar material
cultural schemas influence remembering
critical thinking of Bartlett (1932)
+ ecological validity as it was a real task
+ important in supporting schema theory
- no standarsised intervals at which they learnt info in the repeated reproduction condition
- students at Cambridge
- few controls
what studies do we use for biases in thinking and decision making?
- loftus and palmer - framing effects
- tversky and khaneman - anchoring bias
what is reliability
is our thinking and decision making consistent and can it be influenced by external factors
what are heuristics?
mental shortcuts that involve focusing on one aspect of a complex problem and ignoring others - system one thinking
what is the anchoring bias?
human tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered
once anchor is set, other judgements are based on this
