Anne was two years old when her mother died. Since that time, her Aunt Jane has frequently told her about how Anne and her mother would pick strawberries. Because of this repeated interaction, Anne believes that she "remembers" these trips with her mother when in fact, these memories are the result of the discussions. What type of memory distortion has occurred in this example?
A) hypnosis
B) misinformation
C) source misattribution
D) imagination
E) none of these

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The type of memory distortion that has occurred in this example is source misattribution. Anne's memories of picking strawberries with her mother are actually memories of her aunt telling her about these experiences, but Anne has misattributed the source of these memories to her own experiences with her mother.

Anne Was Two Years Old When Her Mother Died