Paper 1 - Memory Flashcards

Question

What are the two types of interference?

Answer 1

1) Proactive interference – old information disrupts new learning. 2) Retroactive interference – new learning disrupts old information.

Answer 2

Participants learned a word list, then a second list with varying similarities. Greater similarity led to worse recall of the first list, supporting retroactive interference.

Answer 3

Baddeley & Hitch (1977) found rugby players who played more matches forgot older team names due to retroactive interference.

Answer 4

Many studies use artificial tasks (e.g., word lists), which may not reflect real-life memory use.

Answer 5

Memories are available in LTM but cannot be accessed due to missing retrieval cues.

Answer 6

Tulving suggested that recall is best when cues present at encoding match those present at retrieval.

Answer 7

When external cues at recall are different from encoding, leading to forgetting (e.g., studying in one environment and recalling in another).

Answer 8

Scuba divers recalled word lists better when learning and recall conditions matched (e.g., both on land or both underwater).

Answer 9

Forgetting occurs when an individual’s internal state at recall (e.g., mood, intoxication) differs from encoding.

Answer 10

It helps improve revision techniques (using similar conditions for learning and recall) and enhances the effectiveness of eyewitness cognitive interviews.

Answer 11

The environmental and state differences in lab studies (e.g., land vs. underwater) may be too extreme to reflect everyday forgetting.

Answer 12

Information presented after an event that is incorrect or biased, which can alter an eyewitness’s memory of the original event.

Answer 13

Questions that are phrased in a way that prompts or encourages a specific answer.

Answer 14

45 students watched car crash videos and were asked to estimate the speed using different verbs (“contacted,” “hit,” “bumped,” “collided,” “smashed”). The more intense the verb, the higher the speed estimate.

Answer 15

A week later, participants were asked if they saw broken glass (there was none). Those who had heard “smashed” were more likely to falsely recall broken glass.

Answer 16

Real-world applications—police interviews have been adapted to avoid leading questions, such as in the cognitive interview using open-ended questions.

Answer 17

When co-witnesses discuss an event after it has occurred, potentially contaminating each other’s memories.

Answer 18

Participants watched different angles of the same event; some saw a theft, others didn’t. After discussing, 71% of co-witnesses reported details they hadn't actually seen, and 60% falsely said the woman was guilty.

Answer 19

High control over variables allows for replication and strengthens the argument that post-event discussion affects recall.

Answer 20

Lacks ecological validity—participants watched videos, not real crimes, meaning factors like stress and anxiety were not present, which may influence recall in real life.

Answer 21

The tendency for a witness to focus on a weapon, reducing their ability to remember other details of the crime.

Answer 22

Participants were in a waiting room when a man walked past holding either a pen (low anxiety) or a bloody knife (high anxiety). Those in the knife condition were worse at identifying the man’s face (49% vs. 33%).

Answer 23

Ethical issues—deception, lack of informed consent, and potential psychological harm due to exposure to a stressful scenario.

Answer 24

Studied real witnesses of a gun shop shooting and found that those most distressed at the time had the most accurate recall, contradicting Johnson & Scott’s findings.

Answer 25

High ecological validity—real witnesses of a traumatic event provide more realistic recall than laboratory studies.

Answer 26

Lack of control over extraneous variables—witnesses may have been influenced by media coverage or post-event discussion.

Answer 27

A method used to improve eyewitness recall by enhancing memory retrieval through psychological principles.

Answer 28

1. Reinstate the Context – Recall environmental and emotional cues. 2. Report Everything – Recall all details, even if they seem irrelevant. 3. Reverse the Order – Recall events in a different order to prevent schemas influencing memory. 4. Change Perspective – Recall from another person’s viewpoint to disrupt assumptions.

Answer 29

Uses retrieval cues to enhance access to stored memories and reduce effects of leading questions.

Answer 30

A more developed version of CI, including rapport-building, minimising distractions, and allowing the witness to control the flow of information.

Answer 31

Geiselman et al. (1985) found participants recalled significantly more correct details using CI compared to standard interviews.

Answer 32

Detectives trained in ECI gathered 61% more accurate information than untrained detectives, with an accuracy rate of 90%.

Answer 33

Time-consuming—police officers often lack the time and resources to conduct a full CI, making it impractical in real investigations.