Factors Affecting the Accuracy of Memory

Memory is not a perfect recording of events. Our memories are reconstructive — they can be distorted, altered, or completely fabricated without us realising it. Several factors affect how accurately we remember events, which has important implications for everyday life and for the criminal justice system.

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Interference

As covered in the previous lesson, interference from similar memories can reduce accuracy. When we have multiple similar experiences, details from one event can become confused with details from another. This is particularly problematic in situations where accurate recall is important, such as eyewitness testimony.

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Context and State

Memory accuracy is influenced by whether the context (external environment) and state (internal condition) at retrieval match those at encoding. When there is a mismatch, recall is less accurate. This means that a witness recalling an event in a police station may be less accurate than if they returned to the scene of the crime.

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Emotional State and Anxiety

Emotions can significantly affect memory accuracy:

Anxiety and Memory