Topic 5 DQ
1
Memories aren’t always as accurate as people assume. According to the Topic 5
Resources, why aren't memories always accurate? What factors influence our ability to
remember events accurately? Please apply weekly terms and topics in your explanation.
Memory is the ability to recall everything learned, primarily through associative methods. The
three main types of memory are short-term, long-term, and sensory. Memory needs to be more
accurate, especially for specifics. Researchers have shown that urging an eyewitness to
remember more can lead to inaccurate details that the witness feels are accurate. Memories fail
due to poor encoding, storage, and retrieval. Memory is also affected by the environment, what
happens to people after an encounter, and the cognitive processes people use to remember.
Cognition helps people attend, practice, and organize information, yet it can skew human
behavior and judgment. Reconstructive memory theory suggests schemas may impair memory
accuracy. Concentration, attentiveness, vigilance, and attention influence memory. Interest,
drive, and need the emotional impact of the material to be memorized. Memory-accuracy factors
Reconstructive memory holds that memory is complex. Inaccurate memories aren't false. A false
memory is when someone remembers an event they didn't experience. Interference causes
forgetting. New memories can cause retroactive interference. Current memories can interfere
with fresh ones. Networks store memories. Contextual clues help memory recall. Context-
dependent and state-dependent forgetting can occur without environmental or sensory signals
(Grison & Gazzaniga, 2021).
Reference
Grison, S. & Gazzaniga, M. (2019). Psychology in your life (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Norton
& Company, Inc.
1
Memories aren’t always as accurate as people assume. According to the Topic 5
Resources, why aren't memories always accurate? What factors influence our ability to
remember events accurately? Please apply weekly terms and topics in your explanation.
Memory is the ability to recall everything learned, primarily through associative methods. The
three main types of memory are short-term, long-term, and sensory. Memory needs to be more
accurate, especially for specifics. Researchers have shown that urging an eyewitness to
remember more can lead to inaccurate details that the witness feels are accurate. Memories fail
due to poor encoding, storage, and retrieval. Memory is also affected by the environment, what
happens to people after an encounter, and the cognitive processes people use to remember.
Cognition helps people attend, practice, and organize information, yet it can skew human
behavior and judgment. Reconstructive memory theory suggests schemas may impair memory
accuracy. Concentration, attentiveness, vigilance, and attention influence memory. Interest,
drive, and need the emotional impact of the material to be memorized. Memory-accuracy factors
Reconstructive memory holds that memory is complex. Inaccurate memories aren't false. A false
memory is when someone remembers an event they didn't experience. Interference causes
forgetting. New memories can cause retroactive interference. Current memories can interfere
with fresh ones. Networks store memories. Contextual clues help memory recall. Context-
dependent and state-dependent forgetting can occur without environmental or sensory signals
(Grison & Gazzaniga, 2021).
Reference
Grison, S. & Gazzaniga, M. (2019). Psychology in your life (3rd ed.). New York, NY: Norton
& Company, Inc.
