Topic 8: remembering complex events

Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)

Exceptional capacity for episodic memory with virtually perfect recall of life events.

Memory Network

Network connections linking bits of knowledge or similar experiences in memory.

Transplant Error

memory error where info from one context is transplanted into another.

Intrusion Errors

Errors where outside knowledge incorrectly intrudes into a remembered event.

Schemas

Mental frameworks built from past experiences that help organize info and fill gaps.

Benefits of Memory Networks

Serve as efficient retrieval paths and enrich the understanding of concepts.

Limitations of Memory Networks

Highly interconnected memories become difficult to distinguish, leading to errors.

Loftus and Palmer (1974) Study

Participants in the smashed condition were 20% more likely to recall scattered glass.

Memory Susceptibility in Groups

Elder adults, children, and certain cultural groups are more vulnerable to leading questions.

misinformation effect

Memory error made as a result of receiving misinformation

Memory Confidence vs. Accuracy

High confidence does not equate to accuracy, and feedback can distort confidence.

Misattribution

Info is recalled, but source of info is forgotten.

Suggestibility

Past memories are altered by current information.

Transience

info fades over time

Blocking

lack of access to info

Bias

trust that our memories are accurate

Persistence

difficult to forget something we don't want to remember

Retention interval

as the amount of time between first learning and retrieval increases the likelihood of forgetting also increases

Decay theory of memory

suggests memories are transient and fade with time.

Interference theory

forgetting is due to other info in memory interfering with the retrieval of target info

Proactive Interference

Past knowledge blocks the retrieval of new knowledge.

Retroactive Interference

New knowledge blocks the retrieval of old knowledge.

Intervening Events and Forgetting

Number of intervening events accounts for memory errors more than passage of time.

Cue-Dependent Theory

Forgetting stems from a lack of appropriate retrieval cues.

Tip-of-theTongue Phenomenon

Can almost recall something, but don't

Cognitive Interview

Questioning procedure maximizing eyewitness accuracy and quantity.

context reinstatement

puts witness back into mindset they were in at time of crime

Testing Effect

Better long-term retention for materials tested on rather than just reviewed.

Self-Referencing Effect

Better recall for events involving the self due to personal involvement.

Emotion and Memory

Triggers amygdala and hippocampal activity, enhancing consolidation and narrowing attention.

Flashbulb Memories

Memories of extraordinary clarity for emotional events, retained with high conviction for long times.

Co-Witness Contamination

Integration of new information from others into one's own memory.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Mental health condition caused by trauma, characterized by flashbacks and nightmares.

Dissociative amnesia

inability to recall important personal event info, often related to psychological stress

Reminiscence Bump

Global pattern of clear and detailed memories from late adolescence and early adulthood.