Chapter 85. How Reliable Is Your Memory?

Learning Objectives

false memory
the feeling of retrieving particular information from memory, even though that information was never stored in memory
memory
the process of remembering information that has been learned
priming
unconsciously activating certain memory associations through exposure to related information
recall
directly retrieving items previously learned; fill-in-the-blank and essay tests are measures of recall memory
retrieval
getting information out of memory storage so it can be used
recognition
identifying items that have been previously learned; multiple-choice and matching tests are measures of recognition memory
How Reliable Is Your Memory?
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Learning Objectives:

Discover a situation in which memory becomes unreliable.

Identify the reason for the memory failure in that situation.

Practice 1: Memorizing a List of Words

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Practice 1: Memorizing a List of Words

Select the "Display word list" button to begin the test.

In this practice, a series of 15 words are presented for you to recall. After you complete this activity, you will be asked to recognize whether a series of words were presented in the original list or if they are new. After completing this activity, you will be given your results.

We're going to test your memory for a series of 15 words displayed one at a time in the box below. After all the words have been presented, you will be asked to recall as many as you can.

bed
rest
wake
tired
dream
pillow
snooze
blanket
doze
slumber
snore
nap
peace
yawn
drowsy

Recall Test

When you have typed all the words you can remember, select the FINISHED button.

Type all the words you can recall, in any order. Put one space between words. You must spell each word exactly as it was presented

Recognition Test

When each word appears in the box, select one of the buttons to indicate whether the word was presented in the original series.

Now we will present another list of words, one at a time, in the box below. Some of the words were presented in the original series, and others are new.

wake
bed
blanket
doze
tip
dream
drowsy
nap
large
peace
rest
sleep
slumber
hear
snooze
tired
snore
pillow
stick
yawn

This word was presented in the original list.

This word is new (not presented in the original list).

Practice 2: Results from the Memory Test

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Practice 2: Results from the Memory Test

Words Presented

Words Recalled

Words Recognized
Recall Score:
Recognition Score:

  • The first column shows the actual series of 15 words in the order presented.

  • The second column displays the words you recalled correctly. If you "recalled" any words that were not in the original list, they are shown in the space beneath the line.

  • The third column shows the words from the recognition task and your judgment ("presented" or "new") about each word.

Pay special attention to the word "sleep." That word was not on the original list, so if you "recalled" or "recognized" it, you have just experienced what researchers call a false memory.

Review

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Review

Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.

1. People like to believe that their memory of an event closely matches what actually happened. For example, if people witness a traffic accident, when they later recall that event, it seems as if they are replaying a video clip of the accident in their mind.

Review

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Review

Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.

The image is a man scratching his head. A thought bubble above the man says, “Did that really happen, or is my mind playing tricks on me?”

2. But researchers have demonstrated that false memories (recollections of events that did not occur) can be created fairly easily. Once these memories are established, they feel very authentic—as real as memories of actual events.

Review

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Review

Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.

3. One method of inducing false memories involves presenting information that evokes a familiar context. Later, the person will remember the gist of that information rather than the actual details. This can create a false memory of having heard or seen other information related to that context.

Review

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Review

Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.

4. For example, hearing the words “nurse,” “patient,” and “surgery” will evoke the context of a hospital. This activates other associations with the hospital context—a process called priming. Because doctors are associated with hospitals, people may later remember hearing the word “doctor,” even though that word was not presented.

Review

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Review

Select the NEXT button to continue with the Review.

Hours of delay between study and test” and ranges from 0 to 48 in increments of 6. The Y axis is labeled “Accuracy of memory (percentage correct)” and ranges from 0 to 100 in increments of 10. The first line represents recognition and starts at around 100% at 0 hours of delay and slowly decreases to around 75% at 42 hours. The second line represents recall and starts at around 95% at 0 hours of delay and sharply decreases to 65% at 6 hours delay. The line continues to decrease gradually to 30% at 48 hours. Over time, recall shows a greater decrease in accuracy than recognition, which only shows a minor decrease.

5. Researchers have compared memory performance on recognition tasks (where all the information is presented, and you merely have to identify which items you remember) and on recall tasks (where only partial information is provided, and you need to retrieve the rest). In general, memory performance is better on recognition tasks, as shown on this graph. But the likelihood of a false memory based on the gist, or context, is just as high on recognition tasks as on recall tasks.

Quiz 1

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Quiz 1

Match the terms to their descriptions by dragging each colored circle to the appropriate gray circle. When all the circles have been placed, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

Perhaps you should go back to review the reliability of memory.
Select the NEXT button and move to Quiz 2.
recognition
recall
false memory
priming
the feeling of retrieving particular information from memory, even though that information was never stored in memory
activating certain memory associations through exposure to related information
directly retrieving items previously learned, as on fill-in-the-blank and essay tests
identifying items that have been previously learned, as on multiple-choice and matching tests

Quiz 2

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Quiz 2

Answer the question. Then, select the CHECK ANSWER button.

When people hear the words yawn, bed, and wake, later they will probably recall hearing the word sleep. Why does this memory error happen?

The false memory seems to be activated by associations from other words or events that actually occurred. Select the NEXT button and move to the Conclusion.

Try to answer the question again.
People tend to recall hearing “sleep” because:
most people are sleep-deprived.
that word is more common than most other words.
the other words activate memories associated with sleep.

Conclusion

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Congratulations!
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