PSYC*2650 Chapter 8: Remembering Complex Events Flashcards
How does the memory of someone with highly superior autobiographical memory differ from someone with “normal” memory?
Individuals with HSAM have virtually perfect memories for their lives, but have no advantage in remembering other content or performing other mental tasks
What does it mean for memory storage to be modality-specific?
What is seen is stored in brain areas devoted to visual processing, what is heard is devoted to areas involved with auditory processing, etc
What are the two main types of memory errors?
- Errors of omission
- Errors of commission
T or F: Memory is an active process of inference and reconstruction.
True
What is the difference between errors of omission and errors of commission?
- Omission: Caused by a lack of availability of information
- Commission: Caused by the false remembering
What are two ways in which errors of omission can occur?
- Poor encoding
- Forgetting
What are intrusion errors?
A memory error in which a person recalls elements that were not part of the original episode
What is the DRM paradigm?
A commonly used experimental design for eliciting and studying memory errors
What is the procedure for the DRM paradigm?
- Participants are shown or read a list of words related to a single theme
- The word that names the theme isn’t included, but participants are very likely to state that it was
When warned about the error associated with the DRM paradigm, are participants less likely to make the mistake?
No
What is a schema?
A type of knowledge describing what is typical or frequent in a particular situation
Can schemas promote errors in perception and memory?
Yes
T or F: Schemas are useful when trying to recall an event.
True
T or F: Memory connections don’t undermine accuracy.
False
What are the two scenarios in which eyewitness errors occur?
- When the wrong person is identified as the culprit
- When an individual misreports how events unfolded
What is the misinformation effect?
An effect in which reports of an earlier event are influenced by misinformation received after the event
Can the misinformation effect be used to create false memories?
Yes
Is it easier to plant plausible false memories or implausible false memories?
Plausible
T or F: Errors are less likely when the post-event information supplements what was remembered rather than contradicting it.
False. They are more likely.
Is it easier to add false information to a memory or replace it?
It’s easier to add to it
Under what conditions are false memories more easily planted?
If the participant is told to imagine the suggested event rather than just hear about it
What can be used as an indicator of whether a memory is trustworthy?
The degree of certainly a person has in that memory
What might be the reason for which a memory expressed with total certainty turns out to be wrong?
Confidence can be artificially inflated
Are memory errors avoidable?
No
What are the two reasons for “forgetting”?
- Failure to pay attention during acquisition
- Genuinely forgetting the information
What is the retention interval?
The amount of time that passes between initial learning and the retrieval of that material
As the retention interval increases, what happens to the likelihood of forgetting?
It increases
What are three potential explanations for the pattern displayed by an increasing retention interval?
- Decay theory of forgetting
- Interference theory
- Retrieval failure
What is the decay theory of forgetting?
The hypothesis that with the passage of time, memories may fade or erode
What is the logic behind the decay theory of forgetting?
- Brain cells relevant to a specific idea may die overtime
- When connections among memories aren’t constantly refreshed, they gradually weaken
What is the interference theory?
The hypothesis that materials are lost from memory because of interferences from other materials in memory
What is the difference between proactive and retroactive interference?
- Proactive: Interference cause by materials learned prior to the actual learning episode
- Retroactive: Interference caused by materials learned after the actual learning episode
What is retrieval failure?
The hypothesis that “forgotten memories” are still in LTM, but the person is unable to locate them while trying to retrieve it
T or F: The greater the retention interval, the greater the likelihood that a person’s perspective has changed, therefore there’s a lower chance of retrieval failure
False. The greater the retention interval, the greater the likelihood that a person’s perspective has changed, therefore there’s a GREATER chance of retrieval failure.
What is the tip of tongue phenomenon?
An effect in which people are unable to remember a particular word, even though they are certain that it is in their vocabulary
Can forgetting be undone with hypnosis?
No
Why might it appear that forgetting can be undone with hypnosis?
Participants give more detailed reports to comply with the hypnotist’s instructions, not because they actually remember more
Which procedure is successful at producing more complete recollection without compromising accuracy?
Cognitive interviews
What are two reasons why cognitive interviews might be so successful?
- They involve an effort toward context reinstatement
- They offer various retrieval cues in hopes of finding one that triggers the target memory
What is autobiographical memory?
The aspect of memory that records the episodes and events in a person’s life
Which is better remembered, information that is self-relevant or information that is not self-relevant?
Information that is self-relevant
What is the pattern known as the reminiscence bump?
Autobiographical memory is most clear and detailed about events that occurred during late adolescent and early adulthood
Do autobiographical memories involve both genuine recall and schema-based reconstruction?
Yes
T or F: Schematic knowledge a person holds about themselves can create a bias in how they remember the past.
True
What happens if memory consolidation is interrupted?
No memory will be established and later recall will be impossible
T or F: Sleep has no impact on memory consolidation.
False. Adequate sleep can help promote memory consolidation.
T or F: Emotion enhances memory consolidation
True
How does emotion influence what is remembered about an event?
Emotion narrows attention so the focus is on specific aspects of the scene and those aspects are what is likely to be remembered
How does rehearsal differ for emotion events vs non-emotional events?
Due to their nature, emotional events enable more active memory rehearsal
What are flashbulb memories?
A memory of extraordinary clarity, typically for a highly emotional event, that is retained over many years
Emotional events trigger a response in the ___________, which increases activity in the ___________ (crucial for establishing memories).
Amygdala, hippocampus
T or F: Due to their remarkable vividness, flashbulb memories are rarely inaccurate.
False
What is co-witness contamination?
When information from someone else about an event (true or false) is absorbed into another’s memory
How does memory consolidation for traumatic events differ?
Consolidation is promoted by the conditions that accompany bodily arousal, including the extreme arousal typically present during a traumatic event
What factors involved in a trauma can offset the memory-promoting effects of arousal?
Sleep deprivation, head injuries, substance abuse, stress
T or F: Stress often causes a person to remember the broad outline of what happened during a traumatic event, but not the details
True
What are three alternate theories to memory repression/recovered memories?
- Memories that appeared to be lost from the outside may simply be the result of a person refusing to discuss them
- The pattern of “recovering” a memory can potentially be explained by retrieval failure before a relevant cue is presented
- “Recovered” memories may be caused by memory errors emerging when thinking about the past
