HP502 Introductory Psychology The Psychopathology of Memory.

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HP502 Introductory Psychology The
Psychopathology of Memory.

• Dr. Paula Mitchell Ext.9622
• Email p.mitchell_at_ballarat.edu.au

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Reconstructing Memories

• Every new memory is actively constructed, not
  just recorded
• When form new memory, info is actively organised
  encoded
• Retrieval involves active reconstruction of the
  memory
• 2 general factors can contribute to errors
  distortions
• Info stored before memory occurred
• Info acquired after memory occurred

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7 Sins of Memory

• Transience memories fade
• Absent-mindedness failure to remember when
  attention elsewhere
• Misattribution misremember source of memory
• Suggestibility thinking remember something
  thats been implanted
• Bias distortions in recall the way wed rather
  remember it
• Persistence memories wish could get rid of but
  keep coming back
• Forgetting inability to remember

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Forgetting

• Inability to recall info previously available
• Does have some adaptive value
• The Ebbinghouse Forgetting Curve
• Declarative memory
• Used nonsense syllables (WIB, MEP)
• Tested his recall 20min - 31 days

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Ebbinghouse Forgetting Curve

• Much of what we forget is lost relatively quickly
• Depends on encoding, processing depth, rehearsal
• Amount of forgetting levels off
• Info not quickly forgotten is fairly stable
• Basic pattern of forgetting
• Rapid forgetting of some info soon after original
  learning, followed by stability of remaining
  memories
• Same over hours or years
• Logarithmic function

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Long-term Memory - Recap

• Distinction b/w info stored available
• Accessibility reflects level of activation
• Info consolidated through spacing over long
  learning intervals may last lifetime
• Memory both functional reconstructive
• Subject to biases errors
• Emotional factors can bias recall
• 80 inflated remembered grades!

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Flashbulb Memories

• Vivid, distinctive memories of significant events
• Recall very specific images or details
• Easier to retrieve
• High degree of confidence in accuracy
• But, no more accurate than normal memories
• Remember some details, forget some think we
  remember others

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Distortions in Eyewitness Testimony

• Guilt or innocence often hinges on witnesses
  memories
• If memory distortions occur in lab, expect them
  to happen in real life
• Loftus Palmer, 1974
• Ss watched film of car accident asked
  different version of question How fast?
• Ss gave different speeds based on language used
  (eg. contacted, hit, smashed)
• Week later, asked Was there broken glass?
• Dietze Thomson (1993)
• Childrens recall worse with free recall

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Distortions in Eyewitness Testimony

• Misinformation effect
• Ss can intentionally be led to make inaccurate
  reports after being given misleading info
• Father Paganos case
• 7 eyewitnesses confidently, but mistakenly
  identified him as armed robber
• Police mentioned robber may be priest only 1
  photo of potential suspects showed suspect
  wearing clerical collar
• Often remember core details of event (emotional
  stress) but less extensive processing of
  peripheral details

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Factors That Influence Forgetting

• Encoding failures
• Info never encoded from STM to LTM
• Interference 1 memory competes with or replaces
  another
• More similarity more likely interference
• Retroactive new interferes with old
• Proactive old interferes with new

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Factors That Influence Forgetting

• Motivated forgetting usually unpleasant or
  disturbing memories
• Suppression deliberate, conscious effort (like
  prospective memory)
• Repression unconscious, all memory of
  event/experience blocked from conscious awareness
• Decay Forget memories not used
• New memory creates memory trace
• Memories fade over time due to normal brain
  processes
• Possibly in hippocampus

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Brewer Treyens (1981)

• Write down as many details as you can remember
  about the office
• Did you remember the office contained
• Chairs
• Notice board
• Books
• Filing cabinet
• Phone
• Pens
• Coffee cup

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Schemas Memory Distortions

• Schemas
• organised clusters of knowledge info about
  particular topics
• Allows integration of new experiences into
  knowledge base
• Can contribute to memory distortions
• Include incorrect details from existing schema
  (eg. office)
• New memories inconsistent with previously learned
  info gt distortions to resolve inconsistencies
  (eg. Bob Margie)

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False Memories

• Source confusion
• True source of the memory is forgotten
• Common cause of false memories
• False memory
• Distorted or inaccurate memory that feels
  completely real (inc. emotional impact)
• Confuse something youve imagined, heard about,
  or seen in a film with something that really
  happened to you
• Cryptomnesia
• a seemingly new or original memory actually
  based on unrecalled previous memory (eg. past
  lives)

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Repressed Memories

• Most victims of repeated or severe childhood
  sexual abuse have some memories, although often
  fragmented
• Flashbacks, nightmares
• Eg. 38 amnesic for being treated at hospital for
  sexual molestation when kids
• Therapists need to monitor own biases

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Clues From Amnesia

• Can study individuals with brain injuries or
  surgery who suffer amnesia
• Relate type extent of amnesia to specific brain
  areas damaged
• Retrograde amnesia (episodic memories for recent
  events)
• Often from blow to head (eg. football players)
• Brain tumours, stroke
• Memory consolidation new memory needs to set
  to convert into LTM
• Anterograde amnesia (inability to form new
  memories)
• Damage in temporal lobe (hippocapmus)
• Alzheimers

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Infantile Amnesia

• Inability to remember infant experiences during
  adulthood
• Encoding Specificity Principle
• Too many differences b/w world of infant that
  of adult
• Adults no longer possess appropriate retrieval
  cues to access memories from infancy
• Brain development
• Hippocampus not developed (cant form episodic
  memories, but can form procedural memories)
• Around 2-3y critical brain structures more fully
  functional, episodic memory traces begin to be
  encoded into LTM

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Application Senile Dementia

• Most commonly caused by Alzheimers disease (10
  over 65y)
• Symptoms caused by progressive degeneration of
  brain neurons
• As disease progresses, memory loss becomes
  pervasive
• Eventually, person incapacitated dies
• Hoped that one day be able to treat or at least
  minimise memory loss

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Dissociative Disorders

• Dissociative experience
• Awareness, memory personal identity become
  separated or divided
• Spirit possession, trance state, speaking in
  tongues
• Mild experiences are common normal
• Dissociative disorders
• Disruptions in awareness, memory identity more
  extreme frequent interfere with ability to
  function

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Dissociative Disorders

• Dissociative amnesia
• Usually amnesia for personal events info,
  rather than general knowledge skills
• Usually response to stress, trauma etc.
• Dissociative fugue
• Outwardly appears normal, but has extensive
  amnesia identity confusion
• Travels away from home adopt new identity
• Associated with stress/trauma
• When awaken, often dont recall fugue state

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Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID)

• 2 or more identities (Alters), commonly 10-15
• Have own name, history self-image
• Constitute system of mind
• Embody different aspects of personality that
  cant be integrated into primary personality
• Memories, emotions motives not admissible to
  individuals conscious mind
• Memory gaps, loses time, unable to recall
  whereabouts during specific time periods
• Numerous psychiatric physical symptoms
  chaotic personal history
• Dissociative Coping Theory dissociation
  pathological defense mechanism
• Difficult to test as childhood memories unreliable

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Reading

• Westen et al. pp. 277-284
• Next week
• Learning 1 Classical Conditioning