# Relevant research studies ![](/files/-MP9vi8MdlNV0PEXmDhJ) \ The topic, *Reliability of Cognitive Processes*, focuses on two areas of content: reconstructive memory and biases in thinking and decision-making. The *IB Psychology Guide* advises you to study one example of reconstructive memory and one of cognitive bias. As you are aware, human memory is not an exact copy of events but rather a reconstruction that may be altered over time. Research shows that memory may be changed during storage, processing and retrieval of information. You could use several relevant studies to illustrate your writing about reconstructive memory. [Bartlett (1932)](http://www.bartlett.psychol.cam.ac.uk/RememberingBook.htm) showed how schemas could change how we recall stories and his pioneering studies were supported by [Loftus and Palmer (1974)](https://webfiles.uci.edu/eloftus/LoftusPalmer74.pdf), who investigated eyewitness testimony. The study by [Yuille & Cutshall (1986)](/psychology-teacher-articles/cognitive-approach-1/reliability-of-cognitive-processes/the-reliability-of-eyewitness-testimony.md) offers an alternative approach as the investigators found that leading questions do not overly influence the eyewitnesses. While our species name, homo sapiens, implies we are “wise”, we are not always rational thinkers. Research shows that we are subject to biases in thinking and decision-making. Two biases that you could write about include confirmation bias and illusory correlations. **Confirmation bias** is defined as the tendency to seek out information to confirm what you already believe. We unintentionally look for material that supports our opinions and tend to overlook evidence that does not support our viewpoint. When we consider evidence, we tend to interpret it to support our views. Our memories are also affected as we tend to recall information that reinforces our beliefs selectively. [Hill et al. (2008) ](https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2008-10450-017)is an excellent study to write about. *Hamilton & Rose (1980) investigated illusory correlations in the maintenance of social stereotypes in three investigations. Their research is described in the Pamoja Student Guide to IB Psychology.* --- # Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter: ``` GET https://guide.fariaedu.com/psychology-teacher-articles/cognitive-approach-1/reliability-of-cognitive-processes/relevant-research-studies.md?ask= ``` The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.