Demonstration 4: Reconstruction Memory

In the beginning of the experiment, Mr. Anthony showed the class eight images of geometric shapes, and after that, the class was given a sheet of paper with clues about each shape.

After finishing the paper, Mr. Anthony asked everyone to share his or her answers to the person sitting beside. Looking at the paper, we all realized that the there were two sets of hints. The differences were as follows:

1. A: Eyeglasses; B: Dumbbells
2. A: Bottle; B: Stirrup
3. A: Crescent Moon; B: Letter “C”
4. A: Beehive; B: Hat
5. A: Curtains in a Window; B: Diamond in a Rectangle
6. A: Seven; B: Four
7. A: Ship’s Wheel; B: Sun
8. A: Hourglass; B: Table

We found out that our drawings were reconstructed; the images drawn were all distorted to fit the cues. What and how we remember can be changed by our personal cues and the cues given.

Another example is what Mr. Anthony told us in class about how the selection of words can have an impact on the answers. If asked a witness, “What is the speed of the car when it...
a. bumps into another car?”
b. collides into another car?”
c. smashes into another car?”

From the sample questions, it is obvious that the witness, who claims that he or she can recall a certain accident, will possibly construct the memory of the speed of the car to fit the question.

From similar experiments, psychologists conclude that memory is not an accurate recording device of past experiences because the recollections recalled can actually be a reconstructed memory. This finding dramatically changes how people view their own memories and how reliable crime witnesses are.