Introduction to Cognitive Psychology - Department of Psychological ...

Prof. Greg Francis 1/2/13Eyewitness testimonyEyewitness testimonyMisinformation effect Loftus & Palmer (1974)Compare accuracy according to pre-test questions Subjects without a misleading question--90% accurate Subjects with a misleading question -- 20% accurate In a follow-up, the experimenters asked those with misleadingquestions if they thought they were misled» 90% say noPaying money for correctness also had no effectLoftus, Miller &Burns (1978)Themisinformationeffect getsstronger with aweek delaybefore thememory testPercentage correct80706050403020100Consistent None MisleadingTypes of questions"DelayedImmediatePurdue UniversityPurdue UniversityMemory implantsLoftus has a procedure that implants amemory of being lost in a mall Basically just have subject read a plausible story (withsome details that could be true) Get family members to pretend the story is true Later the subject remembers the story as somethingthat happened to him/herIt is very easy for a therapist to implant falsememories into patientsConclusionsMany techniques believed to provide accuratememories, do not flashbulb memories brain stimulationMemory is constructiveMemories can be easily influenced by questions,interpretation, and contextPurdue UniversityPurdue UniversityNext timeAmnesiaAnterograde amnesiaRetrograde amnesiaUnusual characteristicsRepressionWhats wrong with my wife?Purdue UniversityPSY 200: Intro. to Cognitive Psychology 5