Acquiring Misconceptions: the Role of Knowledge Neglect
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09:00 – 10:00 Auditorium 10:15 – 11:55 Elizabeth Marsh - ‘Acquiring Papers and Symposia misconceptions: The role of knowledge neglect’ Room 1 Why do many students think Toronto is What happens to our memories when we the capital of Canada and the yen is the lie?: New directions for research in currency of China? This talk will focus on memory and deception one way that such errors enter the Chair: Donna Li knowledge base, through knowledge The study of deception has been a major neglect. Knowledge neglect occurs when focus on applied psychological research in students have the requisite knowledge recent years, with particular focus on the stored in memory, and yet fail to detection of deception in legal settings. recognize a contradiction of that This symposium, more specifically, focuses knowledge. Knowledge neglect is on how active imagery and processing observed across a variety of situations, associated with the act of deception can including when learners fail to detect affect the memory of the liar. Despite inaccuracies in fictional sources or notice having obvious practical and theoretical incorrect presuppositions in questions. implications, this question has received Importantly, knowledge neglect has surprisingly little attention until now. In implications for later memory. Reading this session, researchers from Australia, errors increases their later rated truth UK and USA will describe their novel value (an illusory truth effect), and leads research designed to address this issue. them to be produced as answers to The research presented employs a range general knowledge questions. Surprisingly, of paradigms, studying memory for focusing attention on the incorrect autobiographical events, mock crimes and information, activating prior knowledge, for videos, and measures the impact of and warnings all have no effects or even deception on a variety of measures, ironically increase the acquisition of false including timing, consistency and knowledge. Practical implications for accuracy. Together, the studies point to an building a critical learner will be discussed, interesting and complex relationship as well as theoretical issues involving between deception and memory. The comparisons of different types of memory findings suggest that deception may limit errors. access to the original memory and that this effect is moderated by the context of the lie. Further, it is possible that a better 10:00 – 10:15 understanding of the interaction may lead to improved techniques for the detection Break Coffee/tea/water (provided) of deception. The symposium will end with a discussion led by Amina Memon, statements were accurately classified (# of which will consider practical and detail, # words, ttr, admission of potential theoretical implications of this work. error). D. Polage - Telling lies makes the truth less Donna Li & Richard Kemp - Do lies certain become truths over time? An experimental investigation of the impact The current experiment investigated of deception on memory whether consistency and timing of lies influences autobiographical event In two experimental studies of the effect memory. Seventy-three participants rated of lying on memory, participants watched the likelihood that events happened to a videotaped robbery, before truthfully or them before age ten and were then deceptively answering questions about interviewed and prompted to either tell the event. After a delay of either 15 the truth, alternate truth/lying, or lie minutes (Experiment 1; N=62), or one about the events in two sessions. On day week (Experiment 2; N=76), participants two, participants again rated the attempted to recall the film accurately. likelihood of the events. Results showed Liars tended to make more errors than that memory for the truth became more truth tellers, but these errors typically uncertain after lying and shifted towards involved new confabulations rather than the lied-about response for both made-up details that they had made up as part of affirmations and denials. Therefore, lying their lie. That is, liars did not come to may result in memory change for the liar. believe their own lies. The practical and Psychology and law applications will be theoretical implications of these findings discussed. will be discussed. Cheryl Hiscock-Anisman - Differential K. Colwell, C. K. Hiscock-Anisman, M. R. recall enhancement, ACID, and deception Evans, A. Kansinally, G. Stanley, & J. Clayton - Differential recall enhancement 56 students participated in a “realistic (DRE): The interaction among memory experiment”. Each group was interviewing, memory, and deception. told to investigate and remember everything, and not get caught to win $5. Honest respondents benefit from Deceivers were told to steal a wallet. mnemonics; deceivers do not. This Before being interviewed all Ps were told Differential Recall Enhancement (DRE) to report completely. In addition improves the ability to detect deception. Deceivers were told to hide the wallet 60 undergraduates provided an honest or theft. All were eligible for 2 $100 prizes for deceptive statement about an interaction “most convincing stories,” and given a with authority. Statements were elicited week to plan. Investigation followed the using the Reality Interview, which triggers ACID process of interviewing and DRE. Dependent measures were the assessment. Mnemonics improved honest number of details added at each stage of recall and hindered deception. 92% of the interview. Honest respondents added significantly more detail during the self function may result in improved mnemonics. This allowed for a 91.7% psychological well-being, and that failures classification accuracy. The increase in in the updating function may contribute to detail shows the interaction between a loss of a stable sense of self across time interviewing, memory, and deception. and relationships. Each statement was unique, unlike the Nicole Alea & Susan Bluck - A Tale of two typical lab design where everyone Cultures: The Functions of describes the same event. Autobiographical Memory in Young and Discussant: Amina Memon Older Adults Room 2 The study examined age and cultural differences in the use of autobiographical New frontiers for the functions of memory (AM) to serve self-continuity, autobiographical memory social-bonding, and directive functions. Chair: Theodore Waters American (n = 292) and Trinidadian (n = Psychologists have proposed that 181) young and older adults completed autobiographical memory serves at least the Thinking About Life Experiences Scale three basic functions: to define self, (TALE; Bluck & Alea, 2011). Across both facilitate and maintain social relationships, cultures, older adults report using AM less and direct future behavior. Early research frequently to serve all functions. Cultural has found substantial initial support for differences, however, did emerge: the self, social, and directive functions of Trinidadians endorse the self-continuity autobiographical memory. In this and directive functions of AM more than symposium, we highlight several Americans. Effects were robust: promising new directions for research on controlling for demographic variables such the functions of autobiographical memory. as gender, and sociocultural differences in Across papers, we examine: the extent to education and perceived health, did not which the functions of autobiographical affect findings. memory vary across culture and across the Burcu Demiray Batur & Alexandra M. lifespan; the links between the functions, Freund - The Self-enhancement Function autobiographical narrative, and of Autobiographical Memory Across the psychological well-being; and the possible Adult Life Span extension of the current scope of the functions of autobiographical memory to Two studies examine the self- include an updating function. Results enhancement function of autobiographical suggest that culture, developmental time memory by exploring the relation of one’s period, and life events have a significant age and self-esteem to the subjective influence on the use of autobiographical temporal distancing of their memories. memory to serve specific functions. Two lifespan samples recalled memories Further, the use of certain of achieving and failing in significant goals, autobiographical memories to serve the and rated how temporally distant these memories psychologically felt. In general, is in some way related to healthy participants felt closer to achieved goals psychological functioning. We tested this than failed goals. In Study 1, increased age assumption by examining relations was associated with feeling closer to between narrative coherence of achieved goals (controlling for self- personally significant autobiographical esteem). Study 2 examines the impact of a memories and psychological well-being. self-esteem manipulation on temporal Further, we tested the potential distancing (ongoing). Results are discussed moderation of the relation between in relation to positivity effect in aging and coherence and well-being by assessing the goal orientation (Freund, 2006). functions served by those memories (self, social, and directive). Results confirmed Tilmann Habermas & Christin Köber - that the ability to construct coherent Does Autobiographical Reasoning Support autobiographical narratives is related to Self-continuity? psychological well-being, especially when The most important self-function of the memories served a self-defining autobiographical remembering is function. considered sustaining a sense of self- Ira Hyman,