1. Cognitive Level of Analysis
To what extent is one cognitive process (memory) reliable?

2. Remember this face and these items!!

3. Implanting Fake memories
Watch this short documentary
Implanting Fake memories

4. The Reconstructive Nature of Memory
Memory is said to be reconstructive in nature.
The term “reconstructive” refers to the brain’s active processing of information to make sense of the world
What would happen if a memory didn’t make sense?

5. The Reconstructive Nature of Memory
Leading Questions
Schemas
Misleading Questions
Cognitive dissonance
Eyewitness testimonies
Repression

6. Schemas
Schema Theory
schemas help us make sense of the world around us, help us interpret the situation
If something isn’t right, schemas might make sense of situation – alter our memory
Bartlett:
LINK changed elements of the story and vocabulary to make sense of it – schemas altered their memory of the story

7. Repression
Sigmund Freud (1875 – 1935) was convinced that forgetting was caused by repression

8. Pope and Hudson (1999) study:
Pope and Hudson from Harvard University recently completed a literature search on the topic of repressed memories of childhood incest. They postulate instances of sexual child abuse where:
the abuse has been corroborated independently of the survivor's memory.
the abuse was sufficiently traumatic that the child would have been expected to remember it if it were not for the repression.
the child actually repressed the memory (and didn't simply forget it).
the victim in her adult years was unaware of the abuse; she was not lying about not having remembered it. 
Most people would accept this as a classic description of a recovered memory of childhood sexual abuse. However, Pope and Hudson were able to find only four such cases, none of them well documented, in all of the published literature. It would seem that repression of traumatic childhood memories occurs very rarely, if at all.

9. DISSONANCE Cognitive Dissonance Cognition 1 Cognition 2
The victim is bleeding from a stab wound
I didn’t see a knife
DISSONANCE
Cognition 3
The knife must have been hidden

10. Eyewitness Testimony OLD NEW WHY? Leading Questions
Police Lineup
Cognitive Interview
WHY?
Leading Questions
Misleading Questions

11. Loftus & Palmer 1974 Experiment 1 Experiment 2 LEADING Question
Used different verbs
Smashed (40.8 MPH)
Collided (39.3 MPH)
Bumped (38.3 MPH)
Hit (34.0 MPH)
Contacted (31.8 MPH)
MISLEADING Question
Found broken glass?
Smashed
Hit
CONTROL

12. Try to remember the face and items from the beginning

13. Identity parade

14. Possible stolen items.

15. Criminal & stolen items: (how many did you get correct?)