Understanding the Misinformation Effect

Medium Unit 5: Cognitive Psychology Forgetting And Memory Construction

In cognitive psychology, memory is not just about the accurate storage and retrieval of information. It can be influenced by various factors, including how information is presented and the context in which it is learned. One area of research explores how memories can be distorted over time or reconstructed inaccurately. A common phenomenon in this domain is called the 'misinformation effect,' where a person’s recall of an event becomes less accurate due to the introduction of misleading information after the event. For example, if a person watches a video of a car accident and then hears someone incorrectly describe a detail about the crash, their memory of the event may change. This alteration raises important questions about the reliability of eyewitness testimonies in legal settings.

Based on your understanding of memory construction and the misinformation effect, which of the following statements is true?

The misinformation effect only occurs with visual information.

Memories can be reconstructed in ways that make them more accurate.

The introduction of misleading information can affect recall accuracy.

All memory construction is objective and remains unchanged over time.

Only children are susceptible to the misinformation effect.

Hint

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