Abigail and Alisa are at the amusement park together. Alisa is terrified of the enormous roller coaster. Several weeks later, Abigail asks her, "Remember how much fun we had on the roller coaster?" Alisa nods, agreeing that the roller coaster was great, not recalling her fear. This is an example of the _____ effect.

The scenario described with Abigail and Alisa at the amusement park is an example of the misinformation effect.

• This effect occurs when a person's memory of an event is modified by information encountered after the event has occurred, often leading to the individual recalling an event differently from the way it actually happened. In this case, Alisa's memory of the event has been influenced by Abigail's positive retrospective view of their experience on the roller coaster, causing Alisa to remember it as great fun, even though she was terrified at the time.
• The misinformation effect has been extensively studied in the field of cognitive psychology. It shows us that memory is not infallible and can be influenced by later events or information. This discovery has important implications in real-world settings, such as in the judicial system where eyewitness testimonies can be critical.