PSY 367 Lecture Notes - Lecture 8: Eyewitness Memory, Undergrads, Psy
Document Summary
Shaw & porter article: constructing rich false memories of committing a crime . Lab studies: false memories previously implanted for being lost in a mall or being attacked by a dog as a child. Internalized false confessions to crimes (e. g. michael crowe) Undergrads consented to having researchers contact family, who then gave personal info and also verified ss hadn"t been involved in certain events. Assigned to either the non-criminal control condition or to the criminal memory condition. Researchers combined true details along with false information to make it more believable. No significant differences between false memories of committing a crime vs. emotional non-criminal events (e. g. dog attack) Those who had false memories were surprised when they learned the true nature of the study. Still, participants produced more details for true vs. false memories, had more confidence in true memories, and reported higher vividness ratings for true memories. Important for all psychology studies; especially important for ones that use deception.