Define proactive interference
Where material learnt first interferes with material learnt later
Define retroactive interference
Where material learnt at a later time interferes with material learnt earlier
Define interference
When memories conflict due to lack of information
What does the interference theory focus on?
Retroactive interference, or how new information can distort past memories
What are the AIMS/hypothesis?
AIM 1: understanding how we become tricked by revised data about a witnessed event
AIM 2: to discover whether it is possible to implant an entire false memory for an event that never happened
Hypothesis: misleading, post-event information can alter a person’s recollection in powerful ways, even leading to the creation of false memories of objects that never existed
Method?
Experiment using self-report (semi-structured interviews)
Design?
Repeated measures
Experimenters?
Two female students from the University of Washington
Participants?
3 males, 21 females
Aged 18-53 years
Each participant had a relative with knowledge about the childhood experience of the participant
Youngest member of the pair was at least 18
Sampling? Issues?
Opportunity.
Each UW student provided a pair of individuals.
Issues: sample bias–all participants knew a UW student, there were more females
Demand characteristics–all participants knew a psych student, might have made them more suspicious about the experiment
Controls?
Deception–told participants they’d be doing…
- A study on childhood memories (how and why people remembered certain things and not others)
- Brief description on 4 events that supposedly occurred while the subject and close family members were together
- Booklets they had to fill in
The Stories–(false stories)
- All 4 were a paragraph long
- Each appeared in the 3rd position
- Elements always included in the false events story:
a. ) lost for a long time
b. ) crying because scared/confused
c. ) lost in a mall or large department store at about age 5
d. ) found and aided by an elderly woman
e. ) reunited with family
What information did Loftus and Pickrell obtain to create the false story?
- Where the family would have shopped when the subject was about 5
- Which members of the family usually went along on shopping trips
- What kinds of stores might have attracted the subject’s interest
- Verification that the subject had not been lost in a mall around the age of 5
Apparatus?
- A five-page booklet with a cover letter and instructions
- The booklet had 4 short stories, 3 true and 1 false
- Each story was a paragraph log with a space below for recording details of memories about the story
Variables?
IV (3 stages)–the booklet, interview 1, and interview 2 (interview times were going to be standardized but scheduling conflicts were encountered)
DV1–Percentage of participants recalling true and false events at all 3 stages
DV2–ratings of clarity of memory: 1-10
DV3–ratings of confidence in ability to recall more detail: 1-5
Procedure?
- Interview family member to obtain 3 true memories between ages 4 and 6 and info for false memory
- Participants sent booklet, introductions them to the study. Each participant read through and filled in any memories from the story. Booklet sent back to researcher. (If they couldn’t remember, they were told to write “I don’t remember this”)
- Conducted interview 1 at university or by phone, 1-2 weeks after completion of the booklet
- Same experimenter conducted interview 2 at university or by phone, 1-2 weeks after first interview
- Prior to interview, participants encouraged to think about events to try and remember more details for their next interview (to increase likelihood of false memory)
- During interview, participant asked to recall each event, adding detail, then asked to rate clarity and confidence of recall
- Participant debriefed and given apology for deception (ethical)
What did they find, data-wise?
Quantitative:
a. ) percentage of recall
b. ) number of words in description
c. ) clarity and confidence ratings
Qualitative data was also gathered (word-for-word descriptions)
Findings?
- 49/72 (68%) of true events were remembered across all 3 conditions
- 7/24 (29%) remembered false events which shows FALSE MEMORY EXISTS
- Used more words to describe true memories to false
- 17 participants (75%) said the had no recollection of the false event in any condition
- At the end 19/24 chose the ‘lost in mall’ story as false, 5 said it was true
Conclusion?
- People can be led to believe that entire events happened to them after suggestion
- THEY DON’T-make claims on percentage of people who might be able to be misled in this way, only that the phenomenon of false memory exists b/c this was a small sample/ snapshot study
- Explain that memory error occurs because of grains of experienced events or imagined events are integrated with interference creating the false memory
Issues?
- Is this study useful?
- Yes: allows police/courts to recognize that witnesses may have false memories
- No: in the wrong hands, such knowledge could provide a way to brainwash people came because it’s only based on simple scenarios and real life has many more cues to truth - Is there any (beneficial) application to everyday life?
Interviews:
- What are the advantages and disadvantages of interviews in research?
- What were the advantages/disadvantages of interviews in this study?
Ethical
- Is this study ethical?
- Could a researcher do this study without deception?
Debate?
Situational vs. Individual Explanation:
Supports situational: true or false choice caused the recall of false events
Supports situational: some participants embellished the memory which suggests the memory had a powerful influence
Supports individual: some participants did not recall the false ever so there are individual differences
Supports individual: even when participants did recall the false event, it was typically a vague memory
