W5: Remembering Complex Events Flashcards
Looking at the circumstances in which material can both helped and hurt our memories. Although our memories are accurate most of the time, we show systematic errors. These errors can be simple mistakes about words that we have no heard or more complex personal events. How we remember complex personal information and what types of memory errors we show. * Memory errors * False memories * Forgetting * Autobiographical memories * Very long-term remembering
Schema
a persons knowledge about some aspect of the environment, developed through experience
Script
a persons conception of sequence of actions that usually occurs during a particular experience
Demonstrations of memory errors
Crombag et al (1996) and Brewer & Treyens (1981).
Plane crash in Amsterdam - people recalled footage of the crash while actually there was none.
Office experiment - people recalled items which weren’t actually presented because of office schema.
Why is memory not like a tape recorder?
Our system is designed to selectively remember things that are important to use, whether personally, important or in a more survival way.
Thus, it can be quite difficult for us to remember specific details and we often fill in the blanks.
Hyperthymesia
Not forgetting anything.
Example: Russian memory expert “S” had remarkable memory, but seemed not to “forget” ANYTHING. He lived in a haze of recollections; assaulting memories.
DRM Effect / Paradigm
When people falsely recall words which are related to a set of other words (which themselves relate to a theme).
Experiment: Deese (1959), Roediger & McDermot (1995)
“Bed, rest, awake, tired, dream, wake, snooze, …”
Word not included but falsely recalled: “sleep”
DRM procedure
A procedure in cognitive psychology used to study false memory in humans. i.e. word lists with a related word not mentioned.
Experiment: Deese (1959), Roediger & McDermot (1995)
“Bed, rest, awake, tired, dream, wake, snooze, …”
Word not included but falsely recalled: “sleep”
How false memories occur
Connections in your memory are part of the story.
Consider how things are stored: a representation is probably linked with a number of other nodes that have been built up over time and with experience. When asked about an event, there would be a spreading activation to connected nodes. Associated nodes can interfere with/ intrude on a true memory - hence causing a problem, false recall.
How schemas contribute to memory errors
Our schemas are used to fill in the blanks when we have missing knowledge/info based on what we expect to be the answer, built upon repeated past experience.
Sometimes our expectations don’t match/reflect the true situation, and therefore contributes to memory errors.
Ways memory errors can occur
Schemas, False suggestions, misleading information
The Misinformation Effect
Being given misleading information (at or after seeing “correct info”) can later cause recall of incorrect information. // Verbs used in a question can influence people’s memories (smashed v hit).
Experiment: Loftus et al. (1978)
Participants either got consistent information or misleading information about a road sign. Later, they were given a memory test. The mislead group only answered correctly 45% compared to the control group that got it correct 75% of the time.
Picture with sign > “Did another car pass the red Datsun while it was at the (control/misled) sign?” > Memory test: was the sign stop or give way?
Imagination Inflation
Merely through imagining events - false events - people become more confident that they’d actually experienced those events.
Experiment: Garry et al (1996)
People became more confident about imagined events than non-imagined events…
“Did you get a haircut” (before 10yo) - yes > etc. > Imagine 4 events that didnt happen > same list as before given again
Implanting false memories
Can occur. Can impact eye witness testimony.
Experiment: Loftus & Pickrell (1995)
Parents wrote 3 true events and participants given these plus one lie. 25% developed false memories of the lie.
Experiment: Porter et al (1999)
1 true event + 1 lie about a serious medical procedure. 25% developed false memory.
Experiment: Wade et al (2002)
Doctored photos. 50% developed false memory.
Experiment: Lindsey et al (2004)
True photo false story (“slime events”). 78% developed false memories.
Eyewitness Testimony
Jurors are more likely to believe someone who’s more confident about his/her memory rather than someone who is less confident. Yet, not good.
Memory confidence often a poor indicator of memory accuracy.
Eyewitness Influences
Cross-race bias, weapon-focus, time, age, stress, lighting, distance, talking with other witnesses, media reports/ questions, line up instructions, content, presentation.
