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The nature of memory errors for verbally quantified information.
1Psychology Department, Lehman College, City University of New York, Bronx, NY 10468, USA. ksailor@lehman.cuny.edu
The American Journal of Psychology
|July 2, 2005
Summary
Memory is not a perfect recall but a blend of experiences and existing knowledge. Our study suggests memory blends for quantified information arise from averaging diverse knowledge states, not specific studied values.
Area of Science:
- Cognitive Psychology
- Neuroscience of Memory
Background:
- Theoretical models propose memory is reconstructive, integrating new information with existing knowledge.
- This challenges the notion of memory as a simple, accurate recording of past events.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate whether memory for quantified information is a faithful reproduction or a blend.
- To determine if memory blends are influenced by specific studied values or general knowledge states.
Main Methods:
- Participants studied simple pairings of names with numerical values (e.g., height, calorie count).
- Responses were analyzed after removing veridical (accurate) recall to examine non-veridical memory traces.
Main Results:
- Little evidence suggested that non-veridical memory responses were influenced by the specific numerical value presented during study.
- The observed memory blends appeared independent of the precise stimulus value.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that memory blends for verbally quantified information are not driven by specific studied values.
- These blends may emerge from an averaging process across different pre-existing knowledge states or schemas.