encoding memory

Memory Retrieval and Influence of Verbal Processing

• Static Images Study

  • Participants viewed a series of images showing two vehicles making contact.

  • Question posed: How fast were the cars going when they bumped into each other?

  • Average speed estimated at 38 miles per hour.

  • Follow-up after a week: Many recalled seeing broken glass at the scene, despite no glass present in images.

  • Conclusion: Verbal processing impacts memory retrieval—word choices can lead to altered memories.

Emotions and Memory

• Flashbulb Memories

  • Flashbulb memories occur during significant emotional events.

  • While the emotional aspect is vividly remembered, specific details may be lost.

  • Example: Weapon focus effect, where focus on a weapon distracts from other details.

• Johnson & Scott Experiment

  • Participants in a waiting room hear noise from an adjacent room.

  • Depending on the condition, a person exits the room with either a pen or a bloody knife.

  • Participants asked if they would convict the suspect based on evidence.

    • 18% conviction rate with circumstantial evidence from only a pen.

    • 72% with an eyewitness, even when that eyewitness was visually impaired without glasses.

  • Insight: Jurors often place high trust in eyewitness accounts, even when their reliability is questionable.

Eyewitness Testimony and Memory Reliability

• False Memories and Recognition

  • Eyewitnesses might misremember details after being presented with misinformation.

  • Loftus and Green Study: Mispresentation of an image (e.g., hair style) led to false identification.

    • 33% recalled misleading details in a reconstruction task.

• Long-term Memory Recall Impact

• Duration between witnessing an event and being questioned affects memory accuracy; three years versus recent memory changes confidence in eyewitness reports.

Constructivist View of Memory

• Memory Storage and Retrieval

  • Contrast between faded snapshot theory (memories stored as clear images) and a constructivist approach (memories made up of various details).

  • Noncriterial recollection: Retrieval of unrelated items that may bias the original memory is common in the recall process.

  • Example: Individuals retrieving spatial information (e.g., direction to the Statue of Liberty) differently based on context, leading to varied recall accuracy.

Conclusion

• Memory is influenced by numerous factors, including emotional content, verbal descriptors, and eyewitness reliability.

• Misinformation can overwrite original memories, highlighting the fragility and malleability of human memory in legal proceedings.