Farah Goes to a Therapist to Seek Help with Memory

question 11

Multiple Choice

Farah goes to a therapist to seek help with memory problems for periods of her childhood. Her therapist tells Farah that gaps in childhood memory are frequently evidence of child sexual abuse. Her therapist interprets her existing memories, memory loss, and behaviours as evidence of past abuse. The therapist is likely engaging in

• A) after-the-fact explanations.
• B) the confirmation bias.
• C) overconfidence bias.
• D) the abuse-excuse effect.

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Definitions:

Evolutionary Psychologist

A professional in psychology who studies how evolutionary theory explains mental and psychological traits, such as memory, perception, or language.

Spatial Abilities

Refers to the capacity to understand, reason, and remember the spatial relations among objects or space.

Natural Selection

The process by which heritable traits that make it more likely for an organism to survive and successfully reproduce become more common in a population over successive generations.

Cognitive Psychologist

A professional who studies mental processes including perception, thinking, memory, and judgment.