Traumatic events ______ and sometimes ______ the cognitive memory.

Traumatic events ______ and sometimes ______ the cognitive memory.

• A. Preserve/record
• B. Diminish/distort
• C. Increase accuracy
• D. Capture completely

Answer: (B)

Traumatic events often overload the brain’s memory systems, so the way we encode and later retrieve details changes. The surge of stress hormones can hinder encoding of certain information and disrupt how memories are stored, leading to a diminished ability to recall aspects of the event. At the same time, those memories can be reconstructed or altered during recall, producing distortions. So, the memory of a traumatic incident is frequently not only weaker but also not perfectly accurate, with gaps and possible false details emerging over time. In practical terms for policing, this explains why eyewitness accounts after a traumatic event can be incomplete or contain errors. It’s why investigators use careful, nonleading interviews and seek corroborating evidence, rather than relying on a single memory. The other possibilities—memory staying fully intact, being increased in accuracy, or being captured completely—don’t align with how trauma typically affects cognitive memory.

Traumatic events often overload the brain’s memory systems, so the way we encode and later retrieve details changes. The surge of stress hormones can hinder encoding of certain information and disrupt how memories are stored, leading to a diminished ability to recall aspects of the event. At the same time, those memories can be reconstructed or altered during recall, producing distortions. So, the memory of a traumatic incident is frequently not only weaker but also not perfectly accurate, with gaps and possible false details emerging over time.

In practical terms for policing, this explains why eyewitness accounts after a traumatic event can be incomplete or contain errors. It’s why investigators use careful, nonleading interviews and seek corroborating evidence, rather than relying on a single memory. The other possibilities—memory staying fully intact, being increased in accuracy, or being captured completely—don’t align with how trauma typically affects cognitive memory.