Everyday Memory

Everyday Memory

1. Eyewitness Testimony

   • Reconstructive Memory
     • Filling in the gaps of memory with what you think may have happened
     • Using schemas
       • Units of info storing knowledge of world
     • Stereotypes
     • Loftus & Palmer study
       • Independent measures
       • Questioning witnesses- replaced 'HIT' with 'BUMP' 'COLLIDE' 'SMASH'
         • influenced by language
         • Altered speed
         • Confabulation- adding false details
         • Leading Qs
   • Facial Recognition
     • Assumption- suspect is present
     • Context- diff context to what you saw them first in
     • Cross race identification bias- hard to recognise from other race
     • Familiarity- mistake for someone else
     • Functional size- number of people who match description
     • Type- viewed singularly

2. Factors Affecting EWT

   • Age
     • Children
       • Encoding: don't have accurate schemas
       • Storage: long time between encoding and retrieval
       • Retrieval: alter memory
       • Interviewer bias- leading qs
       • Repeated qs- change answers
       • Visualise- 'remember' stuff that didn't happen
       • Peer pressure- put events into their memories
       • Authority figure- please them, do what they ask
     • Old (60+)
       • Less detailed, complete and accurate as age increases
   • Anxiety
     • Weapon focus
       • Increase in anxiety, focus on bits, less reliable
         • High stress levels
   • Misleading Info
     • Loftus & Palmer

3. Improving ETW

   • Cognitive Interviews
     • Aims to improve accuracy of EWT
     • 4 components
       • 1. Report everything- report ALL details
       • 2. Mental reinstatement of original context- mentally recreate enviro, context, sights, sounds, smells, feelings
       • 3. Change order- retell event in diff orders
       • 4. Change perspective- report from diff perspectives
   • Enhanced Cognitive Interview
     • use open qs
     • interviewers follow witness's trail of thought

4. Memory Improvement

   • Mnemonics
     • recall large amounts of info or make links
     • good encoding technique
     • effective retrieval cues
     • Acronyms
     • Acrostic poems
     • Rhymes
   • Method of Loci
     • Mental visualisation
     • Imagine familiar place, place each item into a location
     • locations act as retrieval cues
   • Peg-word
     • Pegs are learned cues
     • Add word to peg