Billy has just returned home from visiting his grandparents. His grandfather always had a jar of jelly beans on the table, and his mother asked Billy about the jar. "Sure," says Billy, "it was right there where it always was". Billy's mother knew that the jar was gone. The grandfather had recently been diagnosed with diabetes and had cut down on his sugar intake. Why did Billy remember seeing the jar of jelly beans?
A)He probably has a damaged hippocampus.
B)He was using the representativeness heuristic.
C)Too much time had passed between the visit and the conversation with his mother.
D)He reconstructed his memory using new and old information.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Billy most likely reconstructed his memory using both old and new information. He had formed a strong association between his grandfather and the jar of jelly beans, so when asked about it, his brain retrieved that memory. However, his brain may have updated the memory with the new knowledge of his grandfather's diabetes and reduced sugar intake, leading to a slightly altered recollection of the event.

Billy Has Just Returned Home from Visiting His Grandparents