final paper
III. Theories of Forgetting
- Encoding Failure
Fail to encode the information; information is never transferred to LTM (p. 317)
- Storage Decay:
Forgetting curve: initially rapid, then levels off with time (pp 317-318)
- Retrieval Failure:
We cannot retrieve the information. (pp 318 - 319)
Absence of cues.
Importance of cues (context effects, mood-congruent memory, & déjà vu) pp 312 - 314
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III. Theories of Forgetting
- Motivated Forgetting theory: pp 320 - 326
Remembering our past is often revising it.
We forget things that run counter to our self-view.
We remember things that correspond to how we view ourselves or that enhance us.
Blocking (repressing) painful, unpleasant memories is extremely rare.
Can we recover these memories?
Beware! It is very easy to create false memories.
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III. Theories of Forgetting
- Creation of false memories:
“mousetrap on finger study (Ceci & Bruck, 1993, 1995) pp 325 - 326
58% of preschoolers produced false memories
Professional psychologists could not distinguish the real from the false memories
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III. Theories of Forgetting
- Repressed or Constructed Memories of Abuse?
- Conclusions: p 325
Incest and sexual abuse happens. (all too often!)
There are false convictions.
Some people do forget traumatic events although it is much more likely that a person can’t forget them.
The recovery of some memories is possible, but recovery of repressed memories is questionable.
Use of hypnosis or drugs to recover memories is questionable.
Memories of events before age 3 and a half are highly questionable. (Remember infantile amnesia.)
Even false memories are emotionally traumatic.
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