Discovering Psychology
Discovering Psychology
7th Edition
ISBN: 9781464171055
Author: Sandra E. Hockenbury, Susan A. Nolan, Don H. Hockenbury
Publisher: Worth Publishers
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Chapter 6, Problem 1CTQ-255
Summary Introduction

Concept introduction

Research has established that memories can be inaccurate or false for many reasons. There is strong evidence that people are vulnerable to suggestions of many kinds and may mistakenly identify them as actual memories.

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Consider the research of Elizabeth Loftus and others in which they were able to create false memories in subjects. They found that giving subjects incorrect information or suggestions, and even the subjects’ own imagination, were factors that could result in the creation of false memory. Note that in these studies, the researchers were deliberately trying to create false memories. In an actual clinical setting, however, either the therapist or the patient, or both, may be unaware that these factors are being introduced.

Consider also what we know about memories of traumatic events. On the one hand, it is possible to repress the memory of a single trauma event. On the other hand, survivors of repeated traumatic events are most likely to have strong memories of them, even if some of the details may be hard to recall. Based on this knowledge, the idea that memories of recurring traumas are completely repressed and need to be recovered in therapy is not supported. In addition, although a patient may feel extremely confident about a memory, that is not necessarily an indicator of the accuracy of the memory.

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Chapter 6 Solutions

Discovering Psychology

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