Lab 6: Memory Assignment (due upon arrival to lab)

This exercise involves you and a friend of your choosing. Each of you should think about the first
time you interacted face-to-face this semester.

Without speaking to each other at all about this interaction, each of you should answer all 11
questions below. Be as thorough and accurate as you can. You can either print these questions and
both answer them on paper, or, you can write down your answers and then interview the other
person and write those answers. If you interview your friend and he or she gives different answers,
avoid letting him or her know until all 11 questions have been answered.

It is critical that you do not talk about this memory until after both of you have answered all
questions. Avoid changing any information that you recalled based on what the other person
recalled. The point of this activity is for us to examine memory and memory accuracy through this
activity.

Our first face-to-face interaction this semester

1. Where was it?

Me: her apartment
Her: my apartment

2. Who else was there?

Me: Rosa, Alice, Mya
Her: Rosa, Alice
3. What day of the week?
Me: Monday
Her: Monday

4. What time of the day, roughly?

Me: Evening
Her: around 7:30pm
5. What were you wearing?
Me: jeans and I don’t remember
Her: I don’t remember
6. What was your friend wearing?
Me: a bomber jacket and jeans
Her: I don’t remember
7. Who spoke first, and what was said?
Me: Me, and I said hi
Her: I think it was her and she just greeted me
8. Who spoke second, and what was said?
Me: she spoke second and said hi back
Her: I did and I asked her about the meeting
9. Who spoke last, and what was said?
Me: I did when I was leaving and I said bye
Her: she did while leaving my apartment and said bye

10. Was there any background noise? If so, what?

Me: not really
Her: some of the neighbors were being loud

11. Were either of you holding anything in your hand(s)? If so, what?
Me: I don’t think so
Her: no
If there are discrepancies, you may now talk about them given that both parties have answered the
questions. Can you two figure out who was right or do you have to agree to disagree? Reflect on why
one or both of you may be confident that you are right—can you picture it? Have you talked or
thought about it since?

We just agreed to disagree about the few discrepancies. She might have been more confident
about being right since it took place in her apartment. We have not talked about it since.

Comment on the overall consistency of your memories. Were you surprised by any differences in
your memories? Were you surprised by the amount of detail you are (or are not!) able to recall?
I wasn’t able to recall my memories in a lot of detail which I am not surprised by since it was a very
ordinary interaction, but I was still surprised by the amount of detail I could remember.