Preview p.20 Could you be an impartial jury member in a trial of a parent accused of sexual abuse based on a recovered memory? Or of a therapist being sued for creating a false memory of abuse?

Memory pp. 380 -393

Objective 22: What is Freud’s concept of repression Objective 22: What is Freud’s concept of repression? Is repression reflected in current memory research? To remember our past is to revise it Repression: in psychoanalytic theory, the basic defense mechanism that banishes from consciousness anxiety-arousing thoughts, feeling, and emotions. We repress painful memories “memories for painful experiences are sometimes pushed into the unconscious” Memory researchers disagree with Freud Suppression: when we consciously forget information

Objective 23: How do misinformation and imagination distort our memory of an event? (Loftus & Palmer, 1974) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SP8kJ5A5x U8

Objective 23: How do misinformation and imagination distort our memory of an event? Misinformation effect: incorporating misleading information into one’s memory of an event. As memory fades with time following an event, the injection of misinformation becomes easier. Fill in gaps with guesses and assumptions

Objective 23: How do misinformation and imagination distort our memory of an event? Imagining nonexistent actions can create false memories The more vividly people can imagine things, the more likely they are to inflate their imaginations into memories (Loftus, 2001)

Objective 24: How does source amnesia contribute to false memories? Source amnesia: attributing an event to the wrong source (source misattribution) We remember the experience, story, tweet, day dream, but do not remember where it came from

Objective 25: What are some differences and similarities between true and false memories? True Memories Greater detail Self-assured “Maturation makes liars of us all” Ask less suggestive, more effective questions “Visualize the scene” activates retrieval *cognitive interview False Memories Restricted to meanings and feelings Memory construction Self-assured

Objective 26: Are young children’s reports of abuse reliable? Yes Neutral wording leads to accurate recall Neutral interviewer No Leading questions plant false memories Suggestible

Objective 27: Can memories of childhood sexual abuse be repressed or recovered? Are clinicians who have guided people in “recovering” memories of childhood abuse triggering false memories that damage innocent adults, or are they uncovering the truth? Hypnosis or drugs are unreliable retrieval cues Memories before the age of 3 are unreliable

Objective 27: Can memories of childhood sexual abuse be repressed or recovered? Loftus et al. (1996) Implanted false memories in children such as being lost for an extended time, almost drowning, and vicious animal attack For the most part, highly emotional memories are very likely to be remembered rather than repressed

Lost in a Shopping Mall http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PQr_IJvYzb A http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hER- 5mdIoN0

Objective 28: How can memory contribute to effective study techniques? Study repeatedly to boost long-term recall Spend time rehearsing or actively thinking about material Make the material personally meaningful Mnemonic devices-peg words Activate retrieval cues Recall events before misinformation Minimize interference Test your knowledge

Process p.20 Formulate one hypothesis that might explain how a real, traumatic, and previously forgotten event could suddenly be remembered. Formulate one hypothesis to explain how people could remember something that never really happened. Describe one strategy that might help distinguish between real and false memories.

Addendums to Chapter 9 Objective 4: 2 types of rehearsal Maintenance rehearsal: recitation of information over and over Elaborative rehearsal: application of personal meaning and understanding to ensure that information is encoded into LTM Objective 13: 2 types of explicit memory Episodic memory: personal memories Semantic information: general knowledge about your environment

Objective 13: 2 types of amnesia Retrograde amnesia: inability to remember events from the past, specifically episodic memories Anterograde amnesia: inability to form new memories