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SAGE Journal User Guide

Braun-LaTour, K.A., Grinley, M.J., & Loftus, E.F. (2006). Tourist memory distortion. Journal of Travel Research, 44, 360-367.

1. In their article, the authors discuss a number of factors known to cause memory distortions. What factors do they mention? Can you think of any additional factors?
2. For many years the tourist industry has relied on the impact of marketing to attract tourists to various destinations. Although much of this marketing has targeted consumers prior to their experience, setting up expectations regarding the destination, the present research suggests that the tourist industry needs to develop an approach to manage consumers’ post-experience impressions. Based on the research findings on memory distortion, what suggestions would you make for post-experience management?
3. How might memory distortion play a role in other real life areas such as how a boss evaluates an employee’s job performance?

Maurer, M. & Reinemann, C. (2006). Learning versus knowing: Effects of misinformation in televised debates. Communication Research, 33, 489-506.

1. The authors suggest that the information people receive from the mass media is usually quickly forgotten because most people are not motivated to actively process it. Based on the authors’ findings, what can we conclude about the informational value of watching a political debate?
2. According to the authors, a political debate may engender learning, as evidenced by an increase in the viewer’s knowledge. However, the knowledge gained may not be factual. Based on this account, contrast the dissemination of misinformation during a political debate with the procedure for the misinformation effect.
3. Discuss the similarity between the way misinformation is generated by political debates and the procedure for implanting memories.

Flouri, E. (2005). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): What we have learned and what we have still not found out. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 20, 373-379.

1. According to the authors, what are some of the pre-disposing factors that contribute to the likelihood that an individual will develop PTSD?
2. The authors discuss a biomedical model of PTSD which assumes that individuals with an underlying predisposition to PTSD will develop the symptoms after exposure to a stressor. What do the authors identify as some of the limitations with the biomedical model?
3. The authors devote a portion of their article to discussing what is known about the development of PTSD in children. What do the authors identify as possible protective factors that would enhance the ability of a child to cope with a traumatic experience? How would you think these factors would mediate the dissociation of consciousness found in trauma-induced amnesia?