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TASPsychologyQuick questions
Unit 3: Individual Behaviour
Quick questions on Forgetting and Memory Reliability - TCE Psychology (Tasmania)
3short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is the reliability of memory?Show answer
Memory is not a recording. It is reconstructive: we rebuild a memory each time we recall it, filling gaps with expectations, schemas and later information. Bartlett's "War of the Ghosts" research showed people unconsciously altered an unfamiliar story to fit their own cultural expectations each time they retold it. This reconstructive nature makes memory vulnerable to distortion.
What is eyewitness testimony?Show answer
Eyewitness testimony is a person's account of an event they witnessed, often used in court. Because memory is reconstructive, it can be distorted by leading questions and post-event information, a problem with serious justice implications.
What is factors affecting accuracy?Show answer
Beyond leading questions, accuracy is reduced by anxiety and the weapon-focus effect (attention narrows to a weapon, away from the culprit's face), by the passage of time, and by the misinformation of post-event discussion. Accuracy can be improved with the cognitive interview, which uses context reinstatement and open recall rather than leading questions.
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