Cognitive Psychology Exam PT.4

PT.4

What did Brown et al. (2014) study regarding PTSD and memory? 

They examined memory recall and reconsolidation processes in individuals with PTSD. 

What were the findings of Brown et al. (2014)? 

PTSD was associated with enhanced involuntary recall of trauma-related details but impaired voluntary recall of neutral or contextual information—suggesting altered memory control. 

What are the key brain regions involved in PTSD? 

• Amygdala: Overactive—heightened emotional response 

• Hippocampus: Often smaller or underactive—poor contextualization of memory 

• Prefrontal cortex: Underactive—reduced regulation of emotional and memory responses 

What is memory reconsolidation? 

Memory reconsolidation is the process by which previously consolidated memories are recalled and then stored again, potentially altered or updated based on new information or context.

How does reconsolidation relate to PTSD? 

Each time a traumatic memory is recalled, it may be “reconsolidated” with new emotional content—offering therapeutic opportunities for altering distressing memories (e.g., through exposure therapy). 

What is Constructivism in psychology? 

The view that memory is an active, reconstructive process where people build memories using existing knowledge, expectations, and context—not a perfect record of events. 

Where did Constructivism originate? 

In early 20th-century cognitive psychology, particularly from the work of Frederic Bartlett (1932), who emphasized how memory is shaped by schemas and cultural context. 

What did Bartlett (1932) study in “War of the Ghosts”? 

British participants recalled a Native American folk story; over time, their recollections became shorter, simpler, and more consistent with their own cultural schemas. This demonstrated how memory is influenced by cultural context and personal expectations.

What did Bartlett conclude about memory? 

Memory is reconstructive: people fit new information into pre-existing knowledge structures (schemas) rather than reproducing it exactly. 

What is a schema? 

A cognitive framework that organizes and interprets information based on prior experience and knowledge

What are higher-order schemas? 

Broader conceptual frameworks that integrate multiple related schemas—e.g., a “restaurant schema” containing roles, sequences, and expectations for eating out. 

What is Bartlett’s repeated reproduction technique? 

A method where participants recall the same story multiple times over days or weeks to track how memory changes and becomes more schematic. 

What are the core tenets of constructivism in memory research? 

1. Memory is reconstructive, not reproductive. 

2. Schemas guide encoding and retrieval. 

3. Memory is influenced by expectations, context, and social factors. 

4. Errors and distortions are normal byproducts of a constructive system. 

What is source monitoring? 

The process of identifying the origin of a memory (e.g., whether it came from actual experience, imagination, or external information). 

What causes source monitoring errors?

When memories from different sources (e.g., imagination vs. perception) share similar details, making it hard to tell where they came from. 

What did Elizabeth Loftus study? 

A: How post-event information can alter or distort eyewitness memory. 

What is MPI (misleading post-event information)? 

Information presented after an event that can modify or replace original memories. 

What are Loftus’ main hypotheses about MPI? 

1. Memory replacement hypothesis: New misleading info overwrites the original memory. 

2. Response bias hypothesis: Participants guess or adjust answers based on new info. 

3. Source monitoring error hypothesis: People misattribute the new info’s source. 

What were Loftus’ results? 

Participants exposed to misleading questions (e.g., “How fast were the cars going when they smashed?”) recalled higher speeds and even false details (like broken glass). This demonstrated that the wording of questions significantly influences memory recall and can lead to distorted memories.

What are implanted (false) memories? 

Entirely fabricated memories formed through suggestion or imagination (e.g., being told you were lost in a mall as a child). 

What did Loftus’ “Lost in the Mall” study show? 

: Around 25% of participants developed detailed false memories of an event that never happened. 

Why does imagination inflation happen? 

Repeated imagination increases familiarity and vividness, which are mistaken as evidence of real experience (a source monitoring error). 

 

How do altered or distorted memories relate to anxiety? 

Anxious individuals show a memory bias toward threat-related information and may recall more negative or danger-related events. 

How do memory distortions relate to depression? 

Depressed individuals often recall negative events more easily and have overgeneral autobiographical memories (lacking specific details). 

How are memory distortions linked to schizophrenia? 

Schizophrenia is associated with impaired source monitoring and reality testing, leading to confusion between imagined and real events (reality distortion). 

What did Guillem et al. (2003) investigate? 

Reality distortion and source monitoring errors in individuals with schizophrenia.

What were Guillem et al.’s findings? 

• Patients with schizophrenia were more likely to misattribute self-generated or imagined information as externally generated. 

• This supports the idea that memory distortions contribute to delusions and hallucinations. 

What is the FC effect mentioned in Guillem et al. (2003)? 

The false memory effect (FC effect) refers to the phenomenon where individuals recall events or details that did not occur, often due to suggestive influences or memory distortions, impacting those with schizophrenia.