Instance memory representation in the context of repeated events

生活中的大多数经历都不是独一无二的，因此在某种程度上是重复的。每次我们去上班，看牙医，或者试图找到我们的钥匙，我们都依赖于我们对先前经历的记忆来有效地执行这些任务。在许多情况下，我们记住通常发生的事情的能力是足够的。然而，有时候，我们回忆一次发生的事情的能力可能会对我们自己和我们周围的人产生实质性的影响。这项研究的重点是更好地理解我们可以为重复事件的一个特定实例访问记忆的条件。这项工作适用于法律的制度，在这种制度中，证人被要求报告一系列类似犯罪事件中的一个犯罪事件的细节。例如，当一名儿童一再受到虐待时，往往会要求他或她提供某一具体虐待事件的细节，以便被告对指控提出辩护。当寻求庇护者抵达国际边境寻求入境时，他或她将被问及导致他或她逃离的事件;寻求庇护者往往是为了逃离一再受到的迫害，并将被要求描述特定的情况。所有这些情况都需要访问存储器以获取重复事件的实例。** 对重复事件实例的记忆研究已经确定，访问特定实例的记忆可能很困难。重要的是，在某些时候，特定实例的内存会丢失。然而，我们还不完全知道在什么情况下实例内存的丢失或多或少是可能的。当回忆一个系列中的一个实例时，我们经常混淆其他实例的细节，报告更少的准确细节，并且在我们对特定实例的描述中更加不一致。这种错误模式告诉我们，一个系列中每个实例的内存最终可能会与其他实例混淆。然而，我们还没有确定这种混淆或多或少可能发生的条件。这个研究计划旨在通过实验研究如何访问实例内存。通过一系列的实验，这项研究将帮助我们预测在何种情况下我们能够回忆起一个重复事件的具体细节。然后，这些知识可以用来推进记忆理论，并最终开发出策略，帮助人们报告一系列类似事件中个别实例的细节。由于这一新的知识，我们可以制定各种方法，促进重复犯罪和受害的受害者和证人参与司法系统。

Most experiences in life are not unique and thus, are repeated to some extent. Each time we go to work, visit the dentist, or try to find our keys, we rely on our memory of prior experiences to execute these tasks efficiently. In many contexts, our ability to remember what usually happens is adequate. Sometimes, however, our ability to recall what happened one time can have substantive implications for ourselves and those around us. This research in the grant focused on better understanding the conditions under which we can access memory for one particular instance of a repeated event.******This work has application to the legal system in which a witness is asked to report details of one criminal event from a series of similar criminal events. For instance, when a child has been repeatedly abused, he or she will often be asked to provide details of one particular instance of the abuse in order to allow the accused to raise a defence against the allegation. When an asylum seeker arrives at an international border to seek entry, he or she will be asked about the events that caused him or her to flee; very often the asylum seeker is fleeing repeated persecution and will be asked to describe particular instances. All of these situations require access to memory for instances of a repeated event. ******Research on memory for instances of repeated events has established that accessing memory for a particular instance can be difficult. Importantly, at some point, memory for a particular instance is lost. However, we do not yet fully know the conditions under which the loss of instance memory is more or less likely. When recalling an instance that is part of a series, we often confuse details from other instances, report fewer accurate details, and are more inconsistent in our descriptions of a particular instance. This pattern of errors tells us that the memory for each instance in a series is likely to ultimately become confused with the other instances. Yet, we have not yet established the conditions under which this confusion is more or less likely.******This program of research is designed to experimentally investigate how instance memory can be accessed. Through a series of experiments, this research will help us to predict the circumstances under which we can recall particular details of an instance of a repeated event. This knowledge can then be used to advance theories of memory and, ultimately, to develop strategies that will help people to report details of individual instances that are part of a series of similar events. As a result of this new knowledge, we can develop ways to facilitate participation in the justice system for victims and witnesses of repeated crime and victimization.