PSYC 1030H Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Episodic Memory, Prefrontal Cortex, Amygdala
3 Sep 2013
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Document Summary
Memory refers to the capacity to retain and retrieve information, and also to the structures that account for this capacity. In reconstructing their memories, people often draw on many sources. These vivid recollections of emotional events, flashbulb memories: facts tend to get mixed up with fiction. Confabulations are likely under some circumstances: you have thought, heard, or told others about the imagined event many times. As a result, you may end up with a memory that feels emotionally real to you and yet it is completely false. Memories are also influenced by the way in which questions are put to the eyewitness and by suggestive. Some convictions based on eyewitness testimony turn out to be tragic mistakes comments made during an interrogation or interview. Misleading information from other sources can also profoundly alter what witnesses report. Leading questions, suggestive comments, and misleading information affect people"s memories not only for event they witnessed but also for their own experiences.
