Reconstructive Memory
Define Leading questions
Leading questions: by form or content suggests to a witness which answer is desired
Define flashbulb memory theory
Flashbulb memory: highly detailed “snapshot” of a moment when a surprising and emotionally arousing event happened
Define Heuristics
Mental shortcuts, simple rule applied with little or no thought
Define the google effect?
The belief that people are using the Internet as a personal memory bank.
Define Self-Esteem
Refers to our emotional response to our self-concept.
Define Misinformation effect
Misinformation effect: Post-event information facilitates schema processing which may influence the accuracy of recall
Who criticized the flashbulb memory theory?
Neisser
Define Cognitive biases
Patterns of thinking and decision making which are consistent but inaccurate
Define the Social Comparison Theory
We determine our own social and personal worth based on how we compare to others, specifically figuring our our self-concept and self-esteem.
Define Availability Heuristic
We base our self-esteem on those examples we can most easily remember (the most available) and that are likely to be the most different from our own experience.
Which study showed that memory is not reliable by using leading questions and eyewitness’s?
Loftus and Palmer
Which study used fMRI to study the brain activity of participants who were in NYC during 9-11?
Sharot
Define Anchoring Bias
the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information when making decisions
What is the transactive memory system?
A form of memory that may exist within groups of closely linked individuals, and are expected to be more than just the sum total of memories stored by the members of the group
What is one positive influences of technology on thinking?
Utal et al- spatial skill improvements from video games.
or
Can switch tasks and "think on their feet" (cognitive flexibility).
What is the method and findings of the Loftus and Palmer study?
Aim: investigate whether using leading questions would affect an eyewitness’s estimation of speed
Method: 45 students, divided in 5 groups, 7 short films of traffic accidents were shown, questionnaire about accidents, estimated speed of cars using different verbs: “hit,” “smashed” or “bumped.”
Findings: word “smashed'' had higher estimations of speed than “hit.” IV: different intensities of the verbs used in critical question, DV: estimation of speed
Second study: same thing but asked a week later if saw any broken glass, showed “smashed” more likely to recall seeing broken glass
What are the method and findings of the Brown and Kulik study?
Method: 80 participants, series of 9 events: asked if recall circumstances when heard about event and recall, rate scale of personal importance
Findings: people had clear memories of where and what they felt when learned of important public occurrence (assassination of JFK or MLK), 73/80 said they had a flashbulb memory associated with a personal shock such as a sudden death
What is the method and findings of English and Mussweiler?
Method: 44 students, scenario of rape case- prosecutor 34 or 2 month sentence recommendation
Findings: when told prosecutor recommended 34 months, participants recommended average 8 months longer than told 2 months
Which study's aim was to investigate the use of google and retrieving information?
Storm et al 2016
What were the findings of Bavelier et al?
Those who had played the action video did the task faster and with fewer errors. They were able to decipher a large amount of info more quickly and come to a decision.
What is a study that shows memory is reliable? What is the aim, method, and findings?
Yuille and Cutshall
Aim: to examine if leading questions would affect the memory of eyewitness in a real crime scene
Method: crime scene in Vancouver, thief shot store owner, 21 eyewitnesses interviewed, 4 months after event. Asked if saw broken headlight, asked if saw yellow panel on car (was actually blue, leading question), asked to rate stress
Findings: Eyewitnesses recalled detail, did not make errors
How is the Cahill and McGaugh study biological support for the flashbulb memory?
Cahill and McGaugh: found participants remembered details when they had an emotional response to a story, but remembered less when had an emotional response but adrenaline levels were artificially suppressed
What are the method and findings of Tversky and Kahneman?
Method: High school students, ascending condition: estimate value of list of numbers starting with 1, descending condition: list starting with 8, achor number
Findings: predict lower value in ascending condition, first number seen as bias, ascending group number: 512, descending: 2250, actual value: 40320
What was the aim of Sparrow et all?
To investigate if we invest less effort in committing info to memory if we believe we can simply retrieve the info from an external memory.
What is a limitation for Chou & Edge?
self reported data
or
used younger participants (may not account for a wider population)