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Misattribution
Misattribution is a memory distortion error where an individual confuses the source of a memory. This error is generated internally, meaning the person creates the false memory on their own without external suggestion. While the information itself may be recalled correctly, its connection to the right time, place, or person is wrong.
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Cognitive Psychology
Psychology
Social Science
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Ch.8 Memory - Psychology @ OpenStax
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Psychology @ OpenStax
Introduction to Psychology @ OpenStax Course
OpenStax Psychology (2nd ed.) Textbook
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Transience
Absentmindedness
Blocking
Misattribution
Bias in Memory
Persistence
Suggestibility
A witness is interviewed by police immediately after a robbery and gives a detailed description of the perpetrator. A week later, a police officer shows the witness a photo lineup and asks, "Was the man with the scar the one you saw?" The witness, who had not previously mentioned a scar, now incorporates this detail into their memory of the event. Which type of memory error does this scenario best illustrate?
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Example of Misattribution: Confusing Movie Partners
Example of Misattribution: The Case of Donald Thomson
Comparison of Suggestibility and Misattribution
An eyewitness to a convenience store robbery is interviewed by police. The witness confidently identifies a man from a photo lineup. However, it is later discovered that the man identified was a customer who had been in the store just minutes before the robbery and had a brief, friendly conversation with the witness. The actual robber was someone else entirely. Which of the following best explains this memory error?
A witness sees a man flee the scene of a minor robbery. Later that evening, they watch a news report about the incident which includes an interview with an uninvolved person who was near the scene. The next day, when asked to identify the robber from a lineup, the witness confidently picks the person they saw interviewed on the news, not the actual robber. Which of the following best explains this memory error?