Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

239
Looking
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Psychology on the Web
1. The study of repressed memories can lead down unusual pathways—even more 
unusual than the criminal investigation pathway. Two other areas in which repressed 
memories play a large part are alien abduction and reincarnation. Find two sources 
on the web that deal with one of these issues—one supportive and one skeptical. 
Read what they say and relate it to your knowledge of memory. Summarize your 
fi ndings and indicate which side of the controversy your study of memory leads you 
to favor.
2. Memory is a topic of serious interest to psychologists, but it is also a source of amuse-
ment. Find a website that focuses on the amusing side of memory such as memory 
games, tests of recall, or lists of mnemonics. Hint: There’s even a mnemonics genera-
tor out there! Write down the addresses of any interesting sites that you encounter 
and summarize what you found.
Our examination of memory has highlighted the 
processes of encoding, storage, and retrieval, and 
theories about how these processes occur. We also encountered several phenomena 
relating to memory, including the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon and fl ashbulb memo-
ries. Above all, we observed that memory is a constructive process by which interpreta-
tions, expectations, and guesses contribute to the nature of our memories. 
Before moving on to the next chapter, return to the prologue on Jill Price’s perfect 
memory for events in her life. Consider the following questions in light of what you now 
know about memory.
1. How might you explain why Price can remember trivial life events from years ago but 
keeps forgetting to return a library book?
2. How might Price’s unusual memory be useful to her? How might it be detrimental to 
her?
3. What might Price’s skills suggest about the nature of memory and forgetting?
4. From a researcher’s point of view, what would you do to ascertain that Price’s memo-
ries are truly accurate?
Epilogue
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