Constructive Memory

1
Constructive Memory

• If infants memory contains such detailed and
  specific information, why infantile amnesia?
• We use knowledge structures and previously
  remembered events to interpret new information,
  thereby affecting how it is remembered
• Eyewitness Testimony

2
Constructive Memory

• Use of knowledge structures and previously
  remembered events to interpret new information,
  thereby affecting how it is remembered
• Eyewitness Testimony
• Witness an event, then asked leading, suggestive
  questions

3
Memory Modification

• Happens in adults eyewitness testimony
• Is this a basic mechanism of memory?
• Infant mobile studies - after training, passively
  expose infants to novel mobile

4
Memory Modification

• Is this a basic mechanism of memory?
• Infant mobile studies - after training, passively
  expose infants to novel mobile (Rovee-Collier,
  Adler, Borza, 1994)

5
Memory Modification

• Memory is not completely accurate and can be
  modified
• Infant childhood memories are not accurate but
  have been constructed
• May be cause of infantile amnesia
• Adler (1997) - Selective Integration

6
Suggestibility of Childrens Memory

• Ceci, Ross, Toglia (1987)
• Presented children with a story about a girl who
  got a stomach-ache after eating eggs at breakfast
• Two conditions Biased and unbiased

7
Suggestibility Issues

• Initial studies used asking misleading questions
  that contains some false information about an
  experienced event.
• Younger more suggestible
• These studies of little value in assessing
  validity of sexual abuse or other crimes
• Were questioned about neutral events that had
  little personal salience
• Questioning little similarity to actual cases

8
Suggestibility Issues

• Questioning about Salient Events
• For example, about bodily touching
• Childrens accuracy when participants as opposed
  to observers
• 4 and 7, left in trailer with stranger who
  dressed child in clowns costume and photographed
  her
• Ten days later, tested with open, direct or
  misleading
• 7 more accurate than 4, except for misleading but
  just one report at 4
• Suggest no age differences in suggestibility for
  misleading questions about salient events

9
Suggestibility Issues

• Questioning about Salient Events
• However, questioning still unlike reality
• They ask one question and regardless of answer,
  move on to next
• Typically, in case of abuse, asked repeated
  questions
• Also, typically asked by a biased interviewer
  rather than a neutral one
• Children are asked sometimes to use a doll,
  pretend, or draw

10
Suggestibility Issues

• Interviewer Bias
• Children participate in event
• Questioned by naïve interviewers who are either
  given accurate or false information
• Or questioned by experimenter who seems biased
  that is consistent or not with event
• Children make inaccurate reports

11
Suggestibility Issues

• Interviewer Bias
• Specific vs. Open questions
• Specific leading questions vs. What happened?
• More accurate with open
• Children do not say I do not know, but give a
  response to yes/no or forced-choice questions
• They want to be cooperative
• That is why repeating specific questions leads to
  greater inaccuracy

12
Suggestibility Issues

• Interviewer Bias
• Specific vs. Open questions
• Specific leading questions vs. What happened?
• More accurate with open
• Children do not say I do not know, but give a
  response to yes/no or forced-choice questions
• They want to be cooperative
• That is why repeating specific questions leads to
  greater inaccuracy

13
Suggestibility Issues

• Emotional Tone
• Create negative emotional state
• Leads to more inaccuracies, so give answers to
  events they do not remember because of the
  potential negative tone
• Stereotyping
• Get greater inaccuracies if child is biased to
  believe individual is bad
• Dolls
• Thought to overcome language, memory and
  motivational issues
• Data suggests that this actually increases
  inaccuracies