How does emotion boost memory o We store emotional material in episodic memory better than other material o Norepinephrine the neurotransmitter essential for the hippocampus is involved o The hippocampus plays a major role in encoding new information into memory o The amygdala is involved in emotion o The activity in the amygdala is thought to influence the hippocampus Flashbulb memories o Vivid memories of dramatic events o We remember where and when they occurred e g remembering when and where you were at the time of JFK s assassination or 9 11 o They may be influenced by fight or flight mechanisms and the aroused state The sympathetic nervous system is activated o These memories still may not be 100 accurate Real world implications of memory research o We can create false memories because the formation of memories is a constructive process not actually there We may read about an event and gain a memory of it even though we were E g if someone shows you a photoshopped picture of you standing at the grand canyon you may create a memory of actually visiting the grand canyon o Repressed memories We may want to repress some memories through therapy However bad therapy practices can lead to false repressed memories e g suggesting a person experienced trauma and that they just have repressed the memory False memories fact from fiction o The false memories we have are not intentionally created o Memories that are retrieved into working memory may be encoded in long term memory in a changed form o Siblings may incorporate the memory of a sibling telling of an event as if it was their own event memory Loftus false memory research o She asked a sibling to tell their younger brother about the time he was lost in a mall o The younger brother s brain created a memory of this occurring o Your brain can add details to the memory e g the brother remembered what shirt he was wearing and how he felt o However some memories are easier to implant than others Extreme memories are hard to implant e g a memory of you travelling to Mars Repressed memories o They are controversial because it is debated whether repressed memories are truly repressed or whether they are actually false memories o However there is some evidence of their existence Williams did research on repressed memories Sexual abuse patients 129 women were documented at a hospital and then interviewed 17 years later about their experience 38 couldn t remember their treatment at the hospital 12 couldn t even remember being sexually abused The theory is that repressed memories may be repressed because of poor retrieval cues With cues memories may be restored Eye witness testimony o Can be incorrect o Eye witness identification has been proven incorrect in some cases through DNA testing or evidence of the true offender being found o In identification of the suspect 20 of eye witnesses identified innocent people from mug shots and 8 from a line up PTSD o Characterized by unwanted intrusive memories that appear to happen here and now it feels like they are completely re experiencing the traumatic memory o Article on PTSD what maintains intrusive re experiencing 3 factors Memories are formed in a way that they can be triggered more easily Trauma involves o Strong perceptual priming many cues smells sounds etc o Strong associative learning you associate the cues strongly with the memory o Poor memory elaboration you are reluctant to think about and process the memory which allows it to be stored as biological and episodic memory and it floats around and connects to many different memories to treat this therapists encourage patients to think about and process the memory Interpretation of trauma memories PTSD sufferers feel like they are going crazy actually re experiencing the memory threatened Because of this they are reluctant to discuss the memory and feel Motivates dysfunctional control strategies Rumination memory suppression they talk over and over about the memory but not in a way that resolves it Suppression they avoid the memory and things that may trigger it Safety seeking behaviors These make the PTSD stronger Cognitive behavioral response to trauma memories Treatment of PTSD focuses on un learning cognitive behavioral responses that reinforce and perpetuate trauma memories o By teaching patients to relax and take control of their physiological response and talk about the trauma psychologists can break the negative association with the memory and store it properly This is the same as phobia treatment as PTSD is an anxiety disorder o The impact of drugs on soldiers PTSD Ritalin and Adderall are commonly prescribed for active duty service members went from 3 000 to 32 000 in 5 years and could cause an increase in PTSD These drugs cause the release of norepinephrine similar to adrenaline in the brain this and physical arousal facilitates more vivid memories A shocking combat situation elicits a fear response fight or flight The result is conditioning neutral stimuli in the environment such as sights sounds and smells become linked with the trauma which enhances the vividness of the memory and leads to PTSD E g the smell of burning may be linked with the memory of war in Iraq for soldiers the stimulus can trigger symptoms of PTSD like a flashback or a startled reaction It may be possible to block norepinephrine with beta blockers to stop fear conditioning and potentially preventing PTSD Research in a Boston Hospital was conducted on patients who had experienced trauma injuries etc given a placebo One group was given an adrenaline beta blocker and the other was The patients made a video recording of their memory where they talked about the sounds smells etc 8 months later they replayed the video The people who had received the placebo were more likely to react physiologically to the video and had a higher likelihood of experiencing PTSD symptoms than the people who had been given the beta blocker Some people believe that administering a beta blocker is wrong because our experiences make us who we are However others believe that it is alright to use beta blockers to prevent emotional pain Video on fear PTSD and the brain A smaller hippocampus may lead to less or less vivid memories however less or less vivid memories may lead to a smaller hippocampus PTSD may be caused by the frontal lobe not suppressing fear during directionality makes it unclear memory development Alzheimer s o Can t remember new information as well decrease in