3 Most Important Concepts
1. Loftus' research: Elizabeth Loftus conducted memory experiments with footage of cars crashing and reached conclusions about memory in relationship to eyewitness testimony and having to recall precise detail in great lengths. She concluded that questions phrased with different verbs could mold the account of the crash slightly, e.g. "hit" versus "smashed." She concluded that because of this unconscious change, memory was malleable to a point while still being "honest."
2. Observational learning: Observational learning is witnessing behavior and imitating the model carrying out said behavior. This is particularly common in maturing children, because as they grow, they look to their parents or caregivers for appropriate behavior. If they see violence without punishment, they assume this violence is correct social behavior and fall into the pattern of the model.
3. Information processing: Information processing is the formal phrase for our learning. It covers retention versus recognition, catalysts for the latter, and a hierarchy that maps the processing phases. It also highlights different learning methods and why our brain favors some over others.
Applying the Concepts
1. Understanding that memory is malleable can help the average, everyday person as well as the judges and lawyers that have to gauge the worth of eyewitness testimony in court. In relationships, retellings of fights, et cetera, you often hear the "two sides of the story." This can be an emotional bias, or even two witnesses on the sidelines that interpreted the scenario and responded to the questions in dfiferent ways. Knowing that one word can change the brain's decision subconsciously allows for us not to be so critical of people telling their "side," and to understand that no one is perfect when it comes to their memory.
2. Nature versus nurture in children is a very important thing. In any creature, things that happen early in its lifetime tend to be carried through the rest of it. Psychologists have extensively studied children, especially those going from abused to abuser as they age, and still are unable to figure everything else. In parenting, the adults must remember how impressionable their children are and that the best thing to do is fill their early years full of demonstrative learning and positivity so that they have reasonable expectations but do not become cynical of the world.
3. Everyone uses information on a daily basis, and plenty of people need memorization for their school, work, home, or other aspects of their life. Knowing what the brain reacts best to, like the positions of items on a list, can help us prioritize and find what helps us retain the information best, because it is required of us every day. Students have been using different methods visually, auditorially, and on paper for years now, and psychology helps us gain a better perspective on the limits and strengths of our memory and how to improve it.