Misinformation effect

High school (ages 12+)
Thinking & Learning

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/misinformation-effect

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the core phenomenon?Post-event information leads to decreased accuracy in episodic memory recall
2. What is the primary researcher?Elizabeth Loftus
3. How can wrong information change what we remember?If we hear or see something that isn’t true after we see an event, our brain can add it to the memory or even replace the real details. This can make us think we saw something that never happened.
4. Why do people sometimes mix up where a memory comes from?This happens when we remember a detail we heard from someone else as if we saw it ourselves. It’s called source misattribution, and it can make memories feel more real.

Episodic Memory: The autobiographical recall of specific personal events, including their temporal and spatial context.
Post-event Information: Any details or suggestions encountered by an individual after an event has occurred that may influence their memory of it.
Retroactive Interference: A memory phenomenon where new information learned after an event impairs the ability to recall the original information.
Source Misattribution: The error of recalling information but attributing it to an incorrect source or context.