episodic memory life events are stories about yourself. that is, they are structured in memory in...

Episodic Memory Life events are stories about

yourself. That is, they are structured in

memory in the same manner as all stories.

Memory for events in your own life are also called autobiographical memory.

Episodic Memory Updating Memory Accuracy and Confidence in Event

Memory Long-term Retention Autobiographical Memory

What day is it today? What day was it yesterday? What day will it be tomorrow? Noon

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

Sun Mon Tues Wed Thurs Fri Sat

Days

Seco

nds Today

YesterdayTomorrow

Noon versus Morning

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3


TodayYesterdayTomorrow

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3



NoonMorning

Noon versus Morning versus Evening

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3



0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3



Noon Morning

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

2.5

3

3.5

4



Evening

Orienting to Time and Place Cues are determined by a person’s

current plans and expectations The set of cues are continually

being updated. This keeps us oriented to time and

place

Episodic Memory Updating Memory Accuracy and Confidence in Event Memory

Role of Post-Event Information Effect of intentions on event memory Effect of questioning on confidence and

accuracy Relationship between accuracy and confidence

in event memory Long-term Retention Autobiographical Memory

Memory for Facts versus Memory for Events

Task Read a story and recall it some time laterMemory Group asked to recall storyInteractive Group asked to think about and react to storyAfter they have read the story subjects told either consistent (+),inconsistent (-), or no (0) information with respect to the story

Number of Subjects Producing Recall Errors (Out of 20)

2 Days 3 weeks 6 weeksGroup 0 + - 0 + - 0 + - MemInter

0 1 0 1 0 1 1 1 20 0 2 2 3 34 13 12

Sad Ending-Married Comment Sad Ending

Margie was horrified. She had always wanted to be a mother and had her heart set on having many children. They argued bitterly over what had become a very serious problem for them. A long discussion of the status of their relationship followed.

Recall They separated but realized after discussing

the matter that their love mattered more. The discussed it and decided they could agree

on a compromise: adoption.

Happy Ending-Not Married Comment Happy Ending

Margie was elated. Because she wanted to have a career she had also felt that she didn’t want to have children. They rejoiced in the dissolution of what would have been a very serious problem for them. Along discussion of the status of their relationship followed.

Recall There was a hassle with one or the other’s

parents. They disagreed about having children.

Conclusion It is possible to remember a story

accurately over a long retention interval.

However, normal autobiographical memory is subject to constant revision. Memories of specific episodes may

change over time as the result of post-event information

Intentions As Recall Cues Marcia Johnson:

Found that it is more difficult to distinguish between:

Saying something vs. thinking about saying it. Than:

Saying something vs. hearing it. This and other studies by Johnson

support the important role of intentions and action in organizing memory.

The Effect of Post-Event Questioning on Confidence and Accuracy Children are especially susceptible to

post-event information; the response to a repeated yes/no question will change Loftus and Pickerel (1995).

Even eye-witness testimony may be influenced by post-event information

Successive recall attempts under hypnosis increases confidence must more than accuracy

Memories Disputed Between Twins (Sheen, Kemp, & Rubin, 2001)Age at Test

Age at Event

Cue Word Description of Memory

21 11 Fair Who came in 12th in international cross country race

21 14 Restaurant

Who went for lunch with their mum and had a worm in her meal

21 12 Boat Who was in boat with father when they saw a tiger shark


Memory Long-term Retention (of School

Years) Personal Information Academic Information

Autobiographical Memory

Very Long Retention Intervals

Very Long Term Retention of Personal Information

Very Long-Term Retention of Academic Information

Constructing Autobiographical Function Use cue word method to probe

memory. Record the age at which each

event occurred.

Autobiographical Retention

050

100150200250300350400450

61-70 51-60 41-50 31-40 21-30 11-20 1-10

Age of Subjects at Time of Event

Num

ber

of M

emor

ies

Per

D

ecad

e

Autobiographical MemoryA retention function for old memories has

three main features: Recency: Older memories are less likely

to be recalled than more recent ones A reminiscence bump consisting of a

surprisingly large number of memories coming from ages 10-30, particularly between 15 and 25

Childhood amnesia for the first five years of life



Early childhood amnesia

Early Childhood Amnesia Pillemer, Picarello, and Pruett (1994):

Memory for an emergency school evacuation.

3 yr-olds vs. 4 yr-olds. Two weeks after the event:

Same level of memory for event. Seven years later, forced-choice recognition

test: 3 yr-olds (now 10): No recognition. 4 yr-olds (now 11): 86% correct.



Early childhood amnesia Reminiscence bump

Reminiscence Bump A total of 93% of vivid life memories

are either unique events or first-time experiences Hence novel and emotional experiences

When alumni were asked to recall 4 memories from their first year of college more than 20 years previously, 41% of the memories came from

September

The Effect of Novelty and Emotion on Retention Novel events attract more rehearsals,

which results in longer retention Von Restorff Effect Primacy Effect

Emotional events are specially encoded so that they are difficult to forget Cahill & McGaugh



Early childhood amnesia Reminiscence bump

Effect of novelty and emotion on accuracy and confidence

Flashbulb Memories Vivid memories for unexpected

emotional events, e. g., Kennedy assassination; Challenger explosion. Despite the vividness of such memories they may be highly inaccurate. So confidence is not highly correlated with accuracy

Flashbulb Memories Studies

Neisser and Harsch (1992): Challenger explosion. 40% of the memories changed after 2.5

years. Schmolck, Buffalo, and Squire (2000):

O.J. Simpson verdict. 42% of memories distorted after 2.5 years. 61% of distorted reports were remembered

with high degree of confidence.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Vivid memories of unexpected, tragic,

hence highly emotional events may disrupt attention to current events. Memories can not be easily forgotten or removed from consciousness

However, no evidence that memories are more accurately remembered than other memories

episodic memory life events are stories about yourself. that is, they are structured in memory in...

Documents