Psychology as a scientific field requires critical and organized thinking when dealing with the issue at hand. Psychologists just as any other scientists might make decisions or draw conclusions that are deceptive. Scientists are viewed as being right always but sometimes errors can occur due to the differences people possess. To avoid these errors, a scientist should critically think through a finding or study to ensure that the information presented is conclusive (Pope et al ., 2005). This paper will seek to understand the views of scientists based on the studies in different articles, one original article and one that opposes the views in the article. The studies will be critically evaluated and the importance of critical thinking in professional literature discussed.
Based on the original article, ‘Sadder and Less Accurate? False Memory for Negative Material in Depression’, by Joormann & Teachman (2009), depressed people have the tendency of recalling false information from negative materials as compared to the non-depressed people. The authors indicated that depressed people have the ability to remember 10% more negative information as compared to positive words. This may be due to the fact that depression is associated with access to negative information or material and negative emotions. These factors hinder a depressed person from regulating his or her memory.
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The authors based their conclusion on a study that they conducted on 72 individuals (25 depressed and 27 non-depressed). They presented the participants with lists containing both positive and negative words. The depressed participants recalled more negative words as compared to positive words. They also gave negative words that had not been included on the lists. On the other hand, non-depressed participants recalled more positive words as compared to negative words.
In another study conducted by Turner (2011), there are other symptoms that contribute to false memory other than just depression as whole. The researcher says that depression is associated with loss of attention and limited memory especially to verbal and visual tasks. He further says that false memory errors occur in normal people but may be common among the depressed people. The symptoms of depression might lead to fewer false memories but the persistent worrying in depressed people may alter the memory.
The original article indicates that false memories occur in depressed people but in Turner’s article, he indicates that fewer false memories occur in people with negative moods. Depressed people have negative moods and hence have fewer false memories. Turner concludes that it is unclear whether depressed people recall false information because they have the ability to recall emotionally charged materials whether presented to them or not.
From the articles reviewed, there are biases or conflicting opinions from the studies carried out. In the original article, the researcher did not consider the differences in personality and causes of depression when administering the lists. Lists containing same words were given to all the participants. The results given might have been influenced by the individual’s personality and hence not conclusive. The lists also contained more neutral material which depressed people have the inability to recall as compared to normal people. In the opposing article by Turner (2011), the study used psychology students. They may not have had the symptoms associated to with depression and the information given not conclusive.
On reading the opposing article, the view on false memory being mainly associated to depressed people should be researched further to determine the reasons behind the trend. As discussed, depressed people have memory deficits and more negative or worrying behavior cycle. They will tend to remember the things they associate with rather than the things they are expected to look at and remember. There are more reasons behind false memory. It should not be tied to depression alone. The opposing article has changed my view towards false memory in depressed people. The researcher of the original article needs to more studies that can clearly explain the views.
Critical thinking is of great significance when reading psychological review or other professional literature because it helps the reader to identify the gaps in the studies. It helps identify areas that need more research and hence create topics for research in the future. In addition, critical thinking helps identify the mistakes or biases the researcher might have had and hence help new researchers avoid making the same mistakes. Lastly, it makes the reader understand correctly the concepts put across by the researcher and pick out some of the information that might be hidden or not clearly elaborated and try to understand the information in an objective manner. The information left out might be of great importance to the reader and forms basis for future research.
In conclusion, scientific studies or research are sometimes inconclusive and the results presented may not clearly answer the research questions formulated. One research creates a basis for the next researcher until a concrete and elaborate evidence is discovered. According to the articles reviewed, evidence for false memory in depressed individuals has not been clearly explained. Psychologists need to carry out more research to identify the main reasons or the factors that may be causing false memory. They should also explain why the trend is not only among the depressed population but also with the common population. In doing so, the information provided should be clearly analyzed and conclusive answers provided to the readers. As a reader, always look closely at what has been written, you may discover a new idea that the author did not pick or discover.
References:
Joormann, J., Teachman, B. A., & Gotlib, I. H. (2009). Sadder and Less Accurate? False Memory for Negative Material in Depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 118 (2), 412–417. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Pope, K. S., & Vasquez, M. J. T. (2005). Avoiding logical Fallacies in Psychology.In K. S. Pope & M. J. T. Vasquez (Eds.), How to survive and thrive as a therapist: Information, ideas, and resources for psychologists in practice (pp. 101–107). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Turner, A. (2011). The Effects of Depression and Rumination on False Memory. Retrieved October 6, 2016 from http://scholar.colorado.edu/honr_theses
Walden University (n.d.). Writing Center. Avoiding logical fallacies . Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/writingprocess/logicalfallacies
