Memory Ch7

What have studies regarding the accuracy of flashbulb memories shown?

Accuracy between flashbulb memories and regular memories are pretty consistent. The difference is that flashbulb memories show higher levels of confidence that diminishes very little over the years and still remains high. Positive events lead to more distortion and overconfidence, whereas negative events lead to less overconfidence and more accuracy.

Childhood Amnesia refers to the memory of ________, not the memory of _______ ________.

Adults; Young children

According to Conway's theory of Representation in Autobiographical memory correspond with what 3 types of memory?

Event specific memories, general events, and lifetime periods.

Special Mechanism Approach (theory of flashbulb memory formation)

For flashbulb memories only; flashbulb memories are virtually literal representations of the what, how and where of the original event. Implies that the flashbulb memory is subjectively strong (true), however it also supplies that it is also accurate (not supported)

Flashbulb Memories

Highly confident personal memories of surprising events. Studies have been done by focusing on the memory of public tragedies.

The reminiscence bump also illustrates the __________ principle.

Pollyanna; refers to the observation that people tend to focus on positive aspects of events rather than negative ones.

Deja Vu

The experience we get when we think we have seen or heard something before but objectively know that we have not.

Lifetime periods

The idiosyncratic, personal ways in which we organize our autobiographical past. These lifetime periods are usually organized by a common theme and may overlap in the actual physical time periods that they cover.

Correspondence

The match between the retrieval of memory and the actual event from the past.

Coherence

The process that yield autobiographical memories that are consistent with the working self.

Childhood Amnesia- age-related changes in self concept

The view that childhood amnesia is caused by the development of a coherent psychological self.

Childhood amnesia- influence of language of memory development

The view that childhood amnesia is caused by the growth of language ability in the young child provides the structure and narrative schemas necessary to support episodic memories.

Neurological Views on reminiscence bump.

This view centers on the idea that young adults have the most efficient encoding system based on optimal maturation of brain mechanisms of memory before the inevitable decline in memory abilities associated with age.

Memory-fluency view on reminiscence bump.

This view is based on the idea that the period between ages 16 and 25 is simply a time period with many 'first experiences,' that is, events that are unique and novel.

cue-word technique

an ordinary word is provided to participants and they are asked to provide the first memory-from any point in their life- that the word elicits. Used to explore childhood amnesia.

Field memories

autobiographical and visual memories in which we see the memory as if we were looking at the event through our own eyes. (starts from later childhood to more recent adult memories) In cases of PTSD patients- this form of memory elicits a more negative response

General events

include the combined, averaged and cumulative memory of highly similar events. It can also include extended events, which are long sequences of connected episodic events.

Observer memories

memories in which we take the vantage point of an outside observer and see ourselves as actors in our visual memory. (starts in early childhood) Less emotional content and reduced sensory vividness of the memory. In cases of PTSD patients- this form of memory elicits a much less negative emotions

What are the three most popular explanations for why the reminiscence bump occurs?

memory-fluency views, neurological fluency views, and sociocultural vies.

What are the problems with the memory-fluency view?

only 20% of the memories retrieved are actually first experiences.

Autobiographical Memory

our specific memory and self knowledge; combines info from episodic and semantic memory. Memories we have of ourselves, both individual events from our lives and the facts of our lives.

Diary studies

the experimenters or participants record events from their own lives and keep track of events over long periods of time. Later their memory for these events can be tested.

Working Self

the monitoring function that controls the retrieval of information from the levels of representation. The working self includes the goals and self images that make up our view of ourselves. Ex- light sleeper.

Deja vecu

the persistent feelings that people get that they have lived the present moment before; seen in neuro-psychological patients.

Reminiscence bump

the spike in recalled memories corresponding to late adolescence to early adulthood, or roughly between the ages of 16 and 25.

Childhood amnesia- psychodynamic view.

the view that childhood amnesia is caused by active repression.

Childhood amnesia- neurological transitions in memory systems.

the view that childhood amnesia is caused by changes in the brain as it matures.

Borrowed memories

when we feel a memory is our own when it actually corresponds to an event in another's past.

Childhood Amnesia

(also known as infantile amnesia) refers to the observation that adults have almost no episodic memories from the first 3 to 5

Ordinary Mechanism Approach (theory of flashbulb memory formation)

Claims that flashbulb memories are simply normal memories but memories of emotionally charged and socially significant events. Normal encoding mechanisms create the flashbulb memories and are subject to the same forgetting processes and distortions with possibilities of errors occurring. Does not explain why flashbulb memories are so vivid and held with such confidence.

What are the two features that the working self functions to keep intact?

Coherence and Correspondence

How can Coherence and Correspondence sometime lead to conflict?

Coherence works to keep memories consistent with our views of ourselves, whereas correspondence works to keep memories accurate.

Sociocultural Views on reminiscence bump.

In this view, the 16 to 25 age range is associated with changes in identity formation of the individual. People make decisions about who they are and where they are going as an individual.

Event- specific memories

Individual events stored in episodic memories