Question 1

Several students are discussing the controversy about recovered memory and false memory. Which of the following students provides the best summary of the "recovered memory perspective"?

Accepted Answer

The recovered memory perspective holds that childhood sexual abuse is so traumatic that people may forget those memories for a while, but may retrieve them during adulthood. This is best summarized by Greg's statement. The other options either inaccurately represent this perspective or provide misleading information.

Question 2

Freyd proposed that the concept of betrayal trauma can explain why people may forget about their own experience with sexual abuse during childhood. Which of the following statements would be most consistent with this perspective?

Accepted Answer

Freyd proposes that when a child experiences sexual abuse at the hands of a trusted adult, it can create a betrayal trauma that leads the child to forget or repress the memory of the abuse. This is because acknowledging that the abuse occurred would require the child to confront the fact that someone they trusted and depended on violated them in such a way. As a result, the child may "forget" the abuse until something triggers the memory later in life.

Question 3

Which of the following students provides the most accurate summary about the emotions associated with events that occurred in the past?

Accepted Answer

Anna accurately summarizes that the emotional tone of unpleasant events fades more than the emotional tone of pleasant events. This is supported by research on the negativity bias, which suggests that negative events have a greater impact on our emotions and are more memorable than neutral or positive events.

Question 4

In laboratory studies of false memories, about ___ of participants actually come to remember an event that never actually occurred.

Accepted Answer

In laboratory studies of false memories, about 25% of participants actually come to remember an event that never actually occurred. This is based on research conducted by Elizabeth Loftus and other psychologists in the field of memory.

Question 5

Chapter 5 discussed the relationship between the violence of a TV program and people's recall of commercials shown during that program. According to this research, people recall a commercial more accurately

Accepted Answer

The research found that people recall commercials more accurately when the program is nonviolent. This suggests that when the program content is not distracting or emotionally arousing, viewers are able to pay more attention to the commercials and remember them better.

Question 6

Suppose that you are an advertiser, and a television station has told you that you can select the TV program in which you want your advertisement to appear. According to the research on long-term memory, you want your ad to appear in a program that is

Accepted Answer

Research on long-term memory suggests that emotional arousal can enhance memory. However, this effect is stronger for negative emotions (such as fear or disgust) than for positive emotions. Therefore, it is not recommended to select a program that is too unpleasant or violent, as it may create negative associations with the advertised product or brand. Instead, a program that is emotionally neutral is more likely to create a positive association with the advertised product or brand.

Question 7

Over time, unpleasant memories

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that unpleasant memories tend to fade more over time compared to pleasant memories. This is because our brains prioritize positive experiences and tend to hold onto them longer, while negative experiences are processed differently and eventually lose their emotional intensity.

Question 8

According to the discussion of the "false memory controversy,"

Accepted Answer

The "false memory controversy" refers to the debate among psychologists about the accuracy of people's memories, especially when it comes to traumatic or unpleasant events. Some therapists have suggested that people may create false memories in therapy, leading them to believe that events occurred when they actually did not. This has led some to question the validity of "recovered memories" of childhood abuse or trauma. While some evidence suggests that repression and later recovery of memories can occur, the controversy surrounds the idea that some of these recovered memories may be false. There is no checklist with high validity to determine the truthfulness of an individual's memory, and it is not true that people almost never make errors in their memory recall.

Question 9

Which of the following statements most accurately captures the point of view called the "false memory perspective" with respect to childhood sexual abuse?

Accepted Answer

The false memory perspective posits that as adults, people construct an incorrect memory about childhood sexual abuse, often through suggestions from therapists or others, and they come to believe that the abuse actually did occur, even though it did not. This perspective does not suggest that they intentionally lie or cover up the abuse, but rather that their memory is inaccurate.

Quiz 5: Long-Term Memory