Memory and Language-Lecture 5

Question 1

Everyday Memory

Answer 1

• content usually more important than accuracy

- often memories of memories

Question 2

Infantile Amnesia

Answer 2

• Almost total lack of memories from first 3 years of life

- adult amnesia for events that happened easrly in life

Question 3

Possible explanations for Infantile amnesia

Answer 3

1. Freud-repression
2. Neurological (brain still developing)
3. Schema organisation
4. Language development
5. Emergent self
6. Multi-component

Question 4

Semantic memory in infants

Answer 4

-3 month olds have some basic level distinction (can tell difference between cat and dog)

Question 5

Episodic memory in infants

Answer 5

• 2 month olds have retention for 2 days

- 3 month olds have retention for 7 days

Question 6

Autobiographical memory Reminiscence bump

Answer 6

lots of memories form age 15-25 due to

• cognitive peak (neurological view)
• this is the time for important decisions (Identity formation view)
• Primacy effect-early in life, not a lot of other memories (Cognitive view)

Question 7

Accuracy of Autobiographical memory

Answer 7

• truthful to the gist of the actual experience, not completely accurate
• We tend to place ourselves at the center of the action
• Tendency to cretae a coherent and largely favorable view of present self

Question 8

Flashbulb memories

Answer 8

Highly detailed and vivid memories for surprising events that are relatively resistant to forgetting (ex. 9/11)

Question 9

Factor that affect eyewitness memory

Answer 9

-Perceptual stage (dark, distance, etc)
-encoding stage (stress, violence, etc)
-storage stage (time, interference)
-retrieval stage (questioning, expectations, etc)
In general, we percieve and remember selectively and use imagination to fill in gaps

Question 10

Eyewitness confidence

Answer 10

Low correlation between accuracy and confidence. (More confident does not = more accurate)

Question 11

Composite sketch for eyewitness identification

Answer 11

• Slightly above chance of recognition if drawn within 2 days (after 2 days, only 1-2% improvement)
• better with more sketches or morphed into one

Question 12

Mugshots for eyewitness identification

Answer 12

• Tendency to pick someone even when not there
• danger of interference
• when picked someone incorrectly, less likely to pick out the perpetrator later, more committed to wrong identification

Question 13

Line-ups for eyewitness identification

Answer 13

-Judgment based on actual memory and relative judgement

Question 14

How to preform a better cognitive interview

Answer 14

1. Recreate external and internal context
2. Report everything, even if fragmented
3. Report even in different orders
4. Report from different perspectives
5. Do not interrupt witness in middle of narative