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Essentials of Psychology
Benjamin B Lahey, University of Chicago

Memory

FAQ

1. I have recently heard about people going to jail on the testimony of children who claim to have been molested and their repressed memories of those acts are now resurfacing. How can a person tell if a resurfacing memory was truly repressed or is simply fabricated?
It's not easy. Few research studies offer convincing evidence about the extent to which repression of abuse actually occurs. At present, there is no satisfactory method to help us discover the answer.

2. How can I improve my memory for tests?
Pay attention and minimize distraction, understand the material rather than rotely memorize it, organize what you put into memory, and take good notes.

3. Why do people have flashbulb memories?
Because some events are so emotionally significant that people remember them with more accuracy and vivid imagery than everyday events. Some flashbulb memories are accurate but most probably are not as etched in our brain as we think. Some change and deteriorate over time.

4. How accurate is my autobiographical memory-my recollections of my life-likely to be?
We stitch together complex mixtures of personal knowledge about our past to form our life story. In most autobiographical memories, there are some doses of reality and some doses of myth.