Knowledge and the reliability of constructive memory. Issue 1 (2nd January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Zacks, Jeffrey M.; Bezdek, Matthew A.; Cunningham, Garrett E.
• Is Part Of: Memory. Volume 30:Issue 1(2022)
• Page Start: 22
• Page End: 25
• Publication Date: 2022-01-02
• Subjects: Event memory -- schema -- Bayes rule -- regression; Memory -- Periodicals; 153.1205
• DOI: 10.1080/09658211.2020.1871022
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0965-8211

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Memory is constructive, but that does not mean it is unreliable. When people remember the events of their lives they depend on knowledge, some of which is in the form of scripts or schemata. Schematic information encodes typical patterns in events, and for this reason schemata often contribute veridical features to memory reconstruction. This process can be thought of in Bayesian terms, as incorporating prior probabilities based on recurring patterns in experience. It also can be thought of in terms of statistical regression, such that information from knowledge is combined with information from episodic traces to reconstruct a best estimate of what happened.