Memory Accuracy (Memory)

Question 1

What happens when we retrive memories?

Answer 1

We reconstruct them which may result in things being forgotten or modified = not always accurate.

Question 2

What are false memories?

Answer 2

Memories that didn’t actually happen.

Question 3

What are the factors that affect eyewitness testimony?

Answer 3

• Leading questions
• Post-event discussion
• Anxiety

Question 4

What is eyewitness testimony?

Answer 4

The ability to remember details of events which they may have observed.

Question 5

What are leading questions?

Answer 5

Questions which are phrased to suggest a certain answer.
- Influences memory recall + lead to false memories.

Question 6

What is post-event discussion?

Answer 6

Witnesses may discuss what they have seen with other people.
- May influence the accuracy of each witnesses recall of event.

Question 7

What is anxiety?

Answer 7

Strong emotional/physical effects which may make eyewitness recall better or worse.

Question 8

What is the effect on accuracy is somone is only a little bit anxious?

Answer 8

Accuracy is better.

Question 9

What is the effect on accuracy is somone is very anxious?

Answer 9

Accuracy is worse.

Question 10

What scale is anxiety measure on?

Answer 10

‘The inverted U’

Question 11

Who conducted a study on leading questions?

Answer 11

Loftus and Palmer

Question 12

What was the procedure of Loftus and Palmer’s leading question study?

Answer 12

• Lab study
• Asked them leading questions about the way the car had crashed.
• Used an intense verb ‘smashed’ = ppts judged the car as driving fast.

Question 13

What was the aim of Loftus and Palmer’s leading question study?

Answer 13

How accuratly could ppts recall a video of a car crash.

Question 14

What were the findings of Loftus and Palmer’s leading question study?

Answer 14

Leading questions biased the eyewitness recall of event.

Question 15

What are the ways leading questions affect the EWT?

Answer 15

• Response-bias
• Subsitution

Question 16

What is the response-bias explanation?

Answer 16

The wording of the question has no real effect on ppts memories, just influences how they decide to answer.

Question 17

What is the subsitution explanation?

Answer 17

Wording of leading questions changes the ppts memory.

Question 18

What was the procedure of Loftus and Palmer’s second study?

Answer 18

• Asked questions about broken glass.
• Ppts had a false memory that there had been broken glass in the video.
• The intense verb ‘smashed’ was used.

Question 19

What were the findings of Loftus and Palmer’s second study?

Answer 19

• The intense verb altered the memory.
• Supports the subsitution explanation.

Question 20

What are the limitations of Loftus and Palmer’s studies?

Answer 20

• Demand characteristics: ppts may have only given those answers because they thought it was what they were expected to say.
• Lack ecological validity: if it was a real life situation ppts may have paid more attention/tried harder to give accurate answers.

Question 21

Who conducted a study into post-event discussion?

Answer 21

Gabbert.

Question 22

What was the procedure of Gabbert’s post-event discussion study?

Answer 22

• Studied ppts in pairs.
• Each watched a video of the same crime but saw from different points of view.
• Both discussed what they had seen before individually completing a test of recall.

Question 23

What were the findings of Gabbert’s post-event discussion study?

Answer 23

• 71% = mistakenly recalled aspects they didn’t see but picked up in discussion.
• 0% = mistakes recalled in control group (no discussion).
• They go along with eachother to either win social approval/believe others are right (memory conformity).

Question 24

Who studied the negative effects on recall?

Answer 24

Johnson and Scott

Question 25

What was the procedure of Johnson and Scott’s negative effect study?

Answer 25

• Led ppts to think they were involved in a lab study.
• While in waiting room heard an arguement in next room.
• Low anxiety condition: man walked through carrying a pen and grease on hands
• High anxiety condition: argument followed by sound of breaking glass + man walked through holding knife covered in blood.

Question 26

What were the findings of Johnson and Scott’s negative effect study?

Answer 26

• Ppts later picked out the man from photos.
• 49% = identified man carrying pen.
• 33% = identified man holding knife.
• Tunnel theory: witnesses attention narrows to focus on a weapon (source of anxiety).

Question 27

Who conductde a study on the postive effects of anxiety on recall?

Answer 27

Yuille and Cutshall

Question 28

What was Yuille and Cutshall’s study?

Answer 28

A real life study of people witnessing a shooting.

Question 29

What were Yuille and Cutshall’s findings?

Answer 29

Witnesses had cleat memory of the event.

Question 30

Who produced the cognitive interview?

Answer 30

Fisher and Geiselman

Question 31

What was the aim of the cognitive interview?

Answer 31

To improve accuracy of memory recall.

Question 32

What are the techniuques used within cogntive interview?

Answer 32

1) Report everything
2) Reinstate the context
3) Reverse order
4) Change perspective

Question 33

What does report everything mean within cogntive interview?

Answer 33

Include lots of detail of the event which may trigger important memories.

Question 34

What does reinstate the context mean within cogntive interview?

Answer 34

Returing to the original crime scene in their minds.

• Thinking about: weather, what they could see, emotions etc.
• Links to context-dependent forgetting.

Question 35

What does reverse order mean within cogntive interview?

Answer 35

Recalling in a different order.

• Prevents reporting own expectations and dishonesty.

Question 36

What does change perspective mean within cogntive interview?

Answer 36

Recalling from another perspective disrupts the effects of expectations + schema on recall.

Question 37

What is a limitation of cognitive interview?

Answer 37

It’s less effective when interviewing children.

Question 38

What is the enchanced cognitive interview? (Fisher)

Answer 38

Focuses on building a trusting relationship between individuals + witnesses.

Question 39

How do you gain a trusting relationship with the enchanced cognitive interview?

Answer 39

• Eye contact
• Reduce anxiety
• Minimising distractions
• Speaking slowly
• Open ended questions