Factors affecting the accuracy of memory Interference Context False memories

Have you ever re-organised your drawers but you keep going back to where you used to store something? Interference Forgetting may occur if two similar memories compete with each other. One memory prevents us accessing another memory, e.g. phone numbers or post codes. Definition of interference in your key words glossary Have you ever tried to recall some Spanish vocab but the French words keep popping into your head? Do you ever move apps around on your phone but keep touching their old location?

Interference – Evidence from studies McGeoch and McDonald (1931) Results: Method: 12 participants had to learn 10 words until they could recall them with 100% accuracy. They were then shown a new list of words List 1 = synonyms of old list List 2 = antonyms of old list List 3 = unrelated words compared to old list List 4 = nonsense syllables List 5 = 3 digit numbers Control group = given no new list

Context Context = the general setting or environment in which activities happen Studies on context have shown that recall of information is higher if learning and recall take place in the same context One study used divers as participants. They were asked to learn a list of words. One group was asked to learn the words on shore and recall them under water, the second group was asked to learn and recall the words underwater. The recall was higher when both learning and recall happened in the same context

Context – Evidence from Studies Godden and Baddeley (1975) 18 divers as participants. Divers had to listen to a list of 36 unrelated words either on the dry beach (D) or under water (W) They were tested after 4 minutes to see how many of the words they could remember. Group 1: Learnt on beach and tested on beach (DD) Group 2: Learnt under water and tested on beach (WD) Group 3: Learnt on beach and tested under water (DW) Group 4: Learnt under water and tested under water (WW) They were asked to learn a list of words. One group was asked to learn the words on shore and recall them under water, the second group was asked to learn and recall the words underwater. The recall was higher when both learning and recall happened in the same context

Context – Evidence from Studies Godden and Baddeley (1975) Conclusion This suggests that the context of learning acts as a trigger when trying to remember the information – context enhances the accuracy of memory Evaluation It was done in a natural environment (not a lab) so might mimic real life more  List-learning isn’t representative of most memories Context – Evidence from Studies Godden and Baddeley (1975)

Context – Evidence from Studies Aggleton and Waskett (1999) Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire about the Jorvik Viking Centre 3 years after visiting. One group was put in a room with the same smell as JVC – they had better recall Can you think of a smell that triggers a memory for you? Would the same happen with tastes? Or sounds?

How could we use the idea of context enhancing the accuracy of our memory to our advantage?

False Memories A false memory is remembering something that didn’t happen. It is very easy to ‘plant’ a false memory in someone’s mind Elizabeth Loftus – highly influential psychologist in the field of memory. Has been an expert witness in many criminal trials, including Michael Jackson’s

False Memories Some therapists aim to ‘recover’ memories in their patients. In some cases these turn out to be false memories – alien abductions, child abuse, past lives

False Memories – Evidence from Studies Loftus and Pickrell’s (1995) ‘Lost in the Mall’ study Method: 24 participants (3 male, 21 female) ages 18-53 Relatives supplied researchers with 3 true stories from childhood Researchers made up 4th story about being lost in a mall, with details supplied by relatives, e.g. favourite shops, who was most likely to be with them etc. Participants read all 4 stories and then wrote down their memory of the events. They were asked to write down memories again a few weeks later. Participants were debriefed and asked to guess which story was false Results: 25% of participants recalled the false story 19 / 24 participants correctly identified the false story Evaluation: Being lost is not as traumatic as child abuse – would these memories behave in the same way? Ethical issues – might the study have left a false memory in the participants’ brains? Important application to real life – eye witness testimony

False Memories In 1975, Australian psychologist Donald Thomson was visiting the USA and was arrested for rape – the victim identified Thompson in a line up. He had an alibi – at the time of the attack he was appearing live on TV talking about eye witness testimony!