AAMC FL Practice Exam

What is a source monitoring error?

1. A failure to recall information correctly

2. Misattributing a memory to the wrong source

3. The distortion of a memory over time

4. Forgetting a source of information entirely

The correct answer is: Misattributing a memory to the wrong source

A source monitoring error occurs when an individual incorrectly attributes a memory to the wrong source. This can happen when a person recalls an event or piece of information but cannot accurately identify where or how they learned it. For instance, someone might remember a conversation but mistakenly think it occurred with one person instead of another or confuse a real-life event with something they saw in a movie. This type of memory error is significant because it highlights the complexities surrounding how we store and access memories, as well as how our perceptions can be influenced by other information we encounter. While the other options refer to various aspects of memory difficulties—such as failure to recall correctly, memory distortion over time, and forgetting a source entirely—they do not specifically address the misattribution aspect central to source monitoring errors.