Module 23: Forgetting and Memory Construction
1) What are the 3 types of forgetting or memory failure?
2) Encoding failure
a) What is encoding failure?
b) Give two examples
3) Storage failure
a) What is storage failure?
b) What is the central idea behind Hermann Ebbinghaus’ forgetting
curve?
c) What is permastore
memory? Give an example of one of your own permastore memories
4) Retrieval failure
a) What is the retrieval failure?
b) What is proactive interference? Give an original example
c) What is retroactive interference? Give an original example
5) Motivated forgetting
a) What is motivated forgetting?
b) Give an original example of an instance of motivated forgetting from
your own life
c) What is repression?
d) Give an example
6) Memory Construction
a) Are memories more like playing video recordings; or more like
putting together a jigsaw puzzle?
b) What is the misinformation effect? Give an example
c) Can memories be influenced?
d) What did Loftus’ research show?
e) What is self-serving bias (p. 585)? Can SSB influence memory?
Give an example
f) In light of what you’ve learned about memory reconstruction can we
ever really be sure that our memories are accurate?
7) Children’s recall
a) How good are the memories of children?
b) Are they more susceptible to suggestibility and the misinformation
effect adults; or less susceptible?
c) To children’s memories become more accurate or less accurate as they
grow older?
d) What are 3 things we can do minimize false memories with children?
8) Recovered memories
a) What are recovered memories?
b) Are they accurate for the most part? Why or why not?
c) Does modern research back up the idea that repression of traumatic
memories is a common occurrence?
9) Memory accuracy
a) What are 5 key questions we should ask ourselves when trying to
determine if one of our memories is accurate?
Extra Credit
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What is ‘tip of the tongue’ phenomena? GAE
What is confabulation? GAE
What is source misattribution or source amnesia? GAE
What does bias refer to? How does it affect memory and forgetting?
What are Schacter’s 7 sins of memory?