Podcast
Questions and Answers
What can influence the creation of false childhood memories?
What can influence the creation of false childhood memories?
What effect does misleading information have on memory?
What effect does misleading information have on memory?
Internalized false confessions occur when a person genuinely believes they committed a crime.
Internalized false confessions occur when a person genuinely believes they committed a crime.
True
What is the term for the tendency to prioritize information that confirms one's beliefs?
What is the term for the tendency to prioritize information that confirms one's beliefs?
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Leading questions can impact a witness's memory of an event.
Leading questions can impact a witness's memory of an event.
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False memories can be created through __________ and misinformation.
False memories can be created through __________ and misinformation.
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What is the term for when individuals cannot accurately identify the source of information?
What is the term for when individuals cannot accurately identify the source of information?
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Match the type of false confession with its description:
Match the type of false confession with its description:
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The phenomenon where people's memories are altered by suggestions from others is known as __________.
The phenomenon where people's memories are altered by suggestions from others is known as __________.
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Which of these scenarios best illustrates retroactive interference?
Which of these scenarios best illustrates retroactive interference?
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What can make it difficult for witnesses to differentiate between real and imagined events?
What can make it difficult for witnesses to differentiate between real and imagined events?
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All false memories result from deliberate misinformation.
All false memories result from deliberate misinformation.
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False food memories can be influenced by positive or negative feedback about childhood experiences.
False food memories can be influenced by positive or negative feedback about childhood experiences.
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Who conducted research on the formation of false childhood memories through misinformation?
Who conducted research on the formation of false childhood memories through misinformation?
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What was the primary finding of Loftus and Palmer's 1974 study?
What was the primary finding of Loftus and Palmer's 1974 study?
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Match the following terms to their definitions:
Match the following terms to their definitions:
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What type of memory involves a highly accurate, verbatim recording of an event?
What type of memory involves a highly accurate, verbatim recording of an event?
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Schemas can lead to memory errors by causing people to recall items that were not present.
Schemas can lead to memory errors by causing people to recall items that were not present.
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Name one way that false memories can be created during memory retrieval.
Name one way that false memories can be created during memory retrieval.
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The study conducted by Brewer and Treyens (1981) demonstrated that memory errors can occur due to _______.
The study conducted by Brewer and Treyens (1981) demonstrated that memory errors can occur due to _______.
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Match the following concepts with their descriptions:
Match the following concepts with their descriptions:
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When are false memories created in greater numbers during a memory test?
When are false memories created in greater numbers during a memory test?
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Memory errors tend to be random when memory is reconstructive.
Memory errors tend to be random when memory is reconstructive.
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What did Bartlett observe about the nature of memory when participants re-told the folk tale?
What did Bartlett observe about the nature of memory when participants re-told the folk tale?
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Study Notes
Misinformation Effect
- Memory can be altered by information encountered after an event.
- Misleading information becomes part of the original event over time.
Loftus and Palmer (1974)
- Participants viewed slides of a car accident.
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Question wording influenced speed estimates:
- "Smashed into" led to higher speed estimations than "contacted."
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Delayed recall:
- Those who heard "smashed into" more likely to recall broken glass (not present in the slides).
Real-World Implications
- Leading questions can alter a witness's memory, potentially leading to misidentification and wrongful imprisonment.
Source Misattribution
- This occurs when individuals cannot accurately recall the origin of information, leading to misattribution.
- Example: Remembering a car was speeding based on a police officer's suggestion, not actual observation.
False Food Memories
- Participants completed food preference questionnaires.
- Manipulation: Some were told they had a negative experience with certain foods in childhood. Some were told positive experiences.
- Result: Participants' ratings of the manipulated foods changed to reflect the suggested memories.
False Childhood Memories
- Repetition and imagery: Repetition of a false story, even with specific details, can make it appear real.
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Loftus and Ketcham: Participants were given stories, one false, about their childhood.
- Some were later unable to distinguish the false memory from real ones.
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Hyman, Husband, & Billings: Interviews about childhood memories, including both real and false experiences.
- Over time, false memories became incorporated as real memories.
- Childhood memories: Some memories may be constructed from family stories or photos.
False Confessions
- False confessions can be voluntary, compliant (to escape a situation), or internalized (the individual genuinely believes they committed the crime).
- Suggestive interrogation techniques contribute to false confessions.
Confirmation Bias
- The tendency to seek out information that confirms existing beliefs.
Kassin, Goldstein, & Savitsky (2003)
- Police interrogations can promote confirmation bias (presumption of guilt).
- False memories can be created both during encoding and retrieval due to spreading activation within the semantic network.
Schemas
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Schema: Mental representations of typical events, objects, or situations.
- Example: A restaurant schema includes typical features (tables, chairs, menus), actions (ordering, paying), and scripts (sequence of behaviors).
- Scripts: Sequential behaviors typical in a particular situation.
- Schemas can lead to memory errors: We may remember or reconstruct events based on our schemas, even if they don't accurately reflect reality.
Brewer and Treyens (1981)
- Participants waited in an office and were later asked to recall its contents.
- They recalled seeing books and office supplies even though those were not present.
The War of the Ghosts (Bartlett, 1932)
- Participants were asked to retell a folktale several times.
- Errors in the retellings were systematic and often aligned with the participant's existing schemas.
Memory: Reproductive vs. Reconstructive
- Reproductive Memory: Highly accurate, verbatim recording of an event.
- Reconstructive Memory: Combining elements of experience with existing knowledge to construct a memory.
Memory Errors Explained
- Details incompatible with schemas are often omitted or altered.
- We tend to "normalize" information to fit familiar scripts.
Overall Takeaway
- Memory is not a perfect record. It is malleable and can be influenced by post-event information, schemas, and suggestive questioning.
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Description
Explore the Misinformation Effect through the groundbreaking study by Loftus and Palmer. Learn how misleading information can influence memory recall and lead to real-world implications such as wrongful imprisonment. This chapter delves into concepts like source misattribution and false food memories.
