Source Confusion
Creation and development process of Source Confusion bias Ontology
Last updated
Creation and development process of Source Confusion bias Ontology
Last updated
"Source confusion" refers to a cognitive error or memory distortion where a person is unable to remember the true source of a memory. This phenomenon occurs when an individual misattributes the source of their knowledge, believing that they learned or experienced something in one context, when in reality, the information came from a different source. Source confusion can lead to inaccuracies in eyewitness testimony, false memories, and misattribution of where or from whom one acquired certain knowledge or beliefs. It highlights the complex nature of memory storage and retrieval, showing how easily the origins of our memories can become blurred or intertwined with other experiences.
Here are ten scenarios illustrating various contexts where source confusion can occur:
Witness Testimony: After witnessing a crime, a person might confuse the face of the suspect seen on a police lineup with a similar face seen in a different context, like on TV, leading to misidentification.
Academic Misattribution: A student writes a paper and attributes a quote to the wrong author because they've read so many sources; they remember the quote correctly but forget its true origin.
News Information: Someone recalls facts about a current event but incorrectly attributes the information to a major news outlet when they actually learned about it through a social media post.
Workplace Ideas: An employee suggests an idea in a meeting, thinking it was their original thought, not realizing they actually heard it from a colleague earlier in the week.
Dream Reality Confusion: A person might insist a conversation took place with a friend, but in reality, the conversation happened in a dream, confusing the dream with an actual memory.
Book and Movie Confusion: A reader might attribute a scene or quote to a book they've read, when in fact, it's from the movie adaptation they watched.
Childhood Memories: An adult might recall a family holiday event as their own experience when it was actually a story told by relatives about someone else in the family.
Misremembering Lectures: A student could swear they learned a specific fact in one class (e.g., psychology), but it was actually mentioned in another subject's lecture (e.g., sociology).
Confusing Conversations: After discussing the same topic with multiple friends, a person might confuse who said what, attributing a statement to the wrong friend.
Plagiarism by Mistake: An author might write a passage believing it to be their original work, only to later discover it closely resembles a passage from a book they read years ago, having internalized the words without remembering the source.
These examples highlight the diverse ways in which source confusion can manifest across different aspects of daily life and activities, affecting memory accuracy and reliability.
Title: Misidentification in a Lineup Due to Source Confusion
As a crime scene eyewitness,
I want to accurately identify the suspect I saw at the crime scene,
So that the correct individual is apprehended and justice is served.
Acceptance Criteria:
Pre-Identification Briefing
Given I am about to view a lineup,
When I am briefed by the law enforcement officials,
Then they should inform me about the possibility of source confusion and remind me that it's okay if I don't recognize anyone.
Lineup Presentation
Given a lineup is presented to me, either in person or through photos,
When I look at each individual,
Then the lineup should include a mix of individuals who fit the general description of the suspect to reduce bias.
Memory Recall Support
Given I am trying to recall the suspect,
When I express uncertainty or confusion about where I might have seen an individual,
Then I should be provided with support or strategies to focus on specific memories of the crime scene, rather than external influences.
Post-Identification Feedback
Given I have made an identification or expressed inability to do so,
When I have provided my response,
Then I should be asked about how confident I am in my identification and what specific features or details led me to my decision, without confirming whether I was correct or not to avoid reinforcing potential mistakes.
Counseling Offer
Given the stressful nature of witnessing a crime and participating in a lineup,
When the lineup process is complete,
Then I should be offered access to counseling services to help manage any stress or trauma related to the incident.
This user story emphasizes the need for careful handling of eyewitnesses to mitigate the effects of source confusion and improve the accuracy of identifications in legal proceedings.
Creating an ontology for "Source Confusion" involves defining a structured representation of concepts related to memory, cognition, and information sources, along with the relationships between these concepts. This ontology would help in understanding and organizing knowledge about how source confusion occurs and its implications. Below is an outline of potential classes, subclasses, and properties that could be included in such an ontology.
Memory
Subclasses: Autobiographical Memory, Episodic Memory, Semantic Memory, Procedural Memory
Information Source
Subclasses: Direct Experience, Indirect Experience (further divided into Visual Media, Auditory Media, Written Media, Digital Media)
Cognitive Process
Subclasses: Perception, Encoding, Storage, Retrieval
Cognitive Error
Subclasses: Source Confusion, Misattribution, False Memory, Suggestibility
Event
Subclasses: Crime Event, Academic Event, Personal Event, Public Event
Individual
Subclasses: Eyewitness, Student, Author, General Public
hasSource (Memory → Information Source): Indicates the origin of the memory.
involves (Cognitive Process → Memory): Connects cognitive processes with specific types of memory.
leadsTo (Cognitive Error → Memory): Indicates that a cognitive error affects a particular memory.
witnessedBy (Event → Individual): Indicates that an event was observed by an individual.
misattributedTo (Memory → Information Source): Indicates incorrect attribution of a memory to a source.
occursDuring (Cognitive Error → Event): Connects a cognitive error with an event where it occurred.
affects (Cognitive Error → Individual): Indicates that an individual experiences a cognitive error.
Memory hasSource Direct Experience: A memory formed from personally experiencing an event.
Memory misattributedTo Visual Media: A memory incorrectly thought to have originated from watching TV, when it was actually experienced in person.
Event witnessedBy Eyewitness: A crime witnessed by an individual.
Cognitive Error leadsTo Misattribution: Source confusion causing a memory to be attributed to the wrong source.
Cognitive Process involves Retrieval: The act of recalling a memory involves the cognitive process of retrieval.
cbi:OriginalSource; Describes the Original Source that causes the true instantiation of a memory
cbi:CognitiveError; A Cognitive error that leads to the Source Confusion bias, occurred during memorization
cbi:leadsTo; Describes the relation between the cognitive error and the bias
cbi:relatesToEvent; Describes the relation between the Cognitive Error committed and the Event in which it takes place
cbi:hasParticipant; Describes the relation between the Event and the Biased Agent who participate
cbi:forgets; Describes the lost of memory from the biased agents towards the Original Source
An Event takes place at a Place and Time. Big earthquakes only happen along plate boundaries. INI The party will take place on Sunday in the all-you-can-eat buffet