Omitting information increases the vulnerability of gist and verbatim information

University of California, Davis

- Gist memory captures the overarching meaning of a memory
- Last longer than verbatim memory
- More likely to be a gist memory for the whole memory

Gist memory

Wright, D. B., & Loftus, E. F. (1998). How misinformation alters memories. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 71(2), 155-164.


How Misinformation Alters Memory

Omission of information

This study's results support the memory consolidation model that states memories are restructured during sleep, leading to "big picture" representations in long-term memory. This suggests that in order to get the most accurate eyewitness accounts, witnesses should be interviewed as soon as possible, specifically before they sleep. The idea of a "cooling off period" leading to better memory consolidation is not supported by this study. 

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