Lesson 10: Everyday Memories and Errors

Question 1

Flashbulb Memories

Answer 1

Memory for circumstances surrounding shocking, highly important events (where you were and what you were doing)
- highly emotional, vivid, and detailed
- 9/11, Challenger explosion

Question 2

Repeated Recall of Flashbulb Memories

Answer 2

Initial: Baseline
Later: Totally different answers, like if they heard it on TV or not

Question 3

9/11 Flashbulb Memories

Answer 3

Just as accurate as regular memories
- Emotional content of memories leads to a breakdown of the relationship between accuracy and confidence

Question 4

Special Flashbulb Memories?

Answer 4

• Important in shaping an individuals personality
• Sharing of memories is important for social activity
• What people remember is a construction based on what actually happened and additional information coming from past experience, knowledge, and other information

Question 5

Source monitoring Problem

Answer 5

Memories can be modified or even created by suggestion and problems with source monitoring
- Memories being misattributed to the original source

Question 6

Misleading Postevent Information (MPI)

Answer 6

Feeding people false memories
- Using words like smashed vs hit may make people think their memory of a car accident is worse than it actually was

Question 7

Deese-Roedinger-McDermott (DRM) Paradigm

Answer 7

Creates false memories because the words form each list associated with missing key word and when your try to reconstruct list, your memory recreates all fo the associated information even if it wasn’t experienced (given list about things related to sleep and sleep isn’t mentioned but you still say sleep)

Question 8

Eyewitness Testimony Errors

Answer 8

• Perceptual errors/differences in the constructive nature of memory
• Assuming perp is in lineup: attention can be narrowed due to specific stimuli and weapons focus as less is remembered when a gun is present
• Errors due to familiarity (source monitoring)
• Errors due to suggestion: suggestive questioning, confirming feedback, post-identification feedback effect

Question 9

Decrease False ID’s

Answer 9

Tell witness suspect may not be in the lineup, use distracted similar to perp, sequential viewing, person conducting lineup shouldn’t know who suspect is

Question 10

Good Interview Practices

Answer 10

Get statement close to event, place witness in environment, ask witness to recreate incident before asking questions, start with open-ended questions, tell witness to do most of talking and say whatever comes to mind